edible arrangement

Author: Justin Pyatt

I have this habit of

picking off bits of me

I bite the inside of my lips

tear away tiny pieces

I used to spit them out

now I swallow them deep

I pull out mustache hairs

and drop them

behind the couch

pruned plucked

tossed coin wishes

that don't grow in well

I scratch at parts of me

slow and sharp

something to do while

the while doesn't wait

while nerves gnash

white nerves bark

scratching scraping

planting berry smiles

in soil painted nails

digging down

bubbling up

bonny blossoms

hard day's work

sifting plucking

sniffling noses

licking delicate

dewy roses

green-thumb darling

pink full bloom

posy princess

daisy moon

see my starry

fields of heather

bandaid baby

kiss it better?

Justin Pyatt is a poet and comic book writer. He is based in Bladen County, but grew up in Raleigh, NC. This is his first work published in a literary magazine and he has his closest friends to thank for making this possible.