Keira Deer

I CAN’T STOP WRITING ELEGIES 

For us. For broken-winged birds
with their spines curled
on the sidewalk. For memories
that unstitch and scatter like buttons
on the floor. Spinning tops
let loose & no desire left
unwanted. For the trail of ants
mopped up against the windowsill
in the corner stall of the basement.
Empty soda cans on ledges
melting in the sun. For every girl
who has been unpretty, which is to say,
for every girl.
For dead beached bees and the soles
that step on them. For silences
resisted
in every way. For guitars
with untouched strings,
by which I mean, for things
imprisoned
by voicelessness.
For broken things.
For things that are too hard
to be broken.

Keira Deer is a writer and poet based in Southern California. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Chapman University, and her work has been published in Calliope Art & Literary Magazine, Ouroboros Magazine, and Polaris Literary Magazine.