Kate LaDew
darkness fills all the spaces
hands made useless by a trembling weight
A dead child's teddy bear
he lifts his visor
you keep her voice on your phone
darkness fills all the spaces
she looks, he looks, they look at each other
he wishes he could write a song that feels like this.
hands made useless by a trembling weight
she said it loud, the same sound over and over, a whole story in one word ignored. no.
A dead child's teddy bear
is staring at her through the bars, little ducks in a halo over it
she wonders if this is hell.
he lifts his visor
looking down at the shine of Earth, he watches it fade like a smile,
half remembered and sad at the edges.
you keep her voice on your phone
memorize the sounds you never heard when she was alive,
forever sorry it took this to hear them.
Kate LaDew is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BA in Studio Art.