Content Warning: themes of blood & violence
Hannah Shapiro – Neshama
​
When I find you,
I will remind you that water
shapes us
and fire breaks us.
Neshama, you have left my
heart in the embers.
You have left this pulse to
forget the beats that have
left bruises on the moon.
In the summer, I will melt
these chains into gold.
In the spring, your skin
will soften into cheesecloth.
In the winter, I will buy you flowers—
red roses dripping onto
crisp white snow,
how the very sight of them
makes you fall to your knees.
Hannah Shapiro (she/they) lives and writes on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation. She holds a BA in English Literature from Carleton University. Their work has been published in Bywords, Rough Cut Press, and elsewhere. Hannah is the Poetry Editor of Sumac Literary Magazine, which is set to release its first issue in April 2023. You can find her @_hannahshapiro_ on Instagram and Twitter.
Artwork: Decipher by Helen Gwyn Jones
Helen Gwyn Jones (she/her) started recording her world at the age of 8 when she bought a Brownie camera from her sister, something which has become a lifelong passion. A collector of the past (hers and other people’s) she likes nothing better than muted images of imperfection. May be found poring over Welsh grammar books when not photographing drains or going into raptures over rust. Recent publications include Hungry Ghost Project, Free Flash Fiction, Acropolis Journal, Paddler Press, Blink-Ink, Hecate, Pareidolia, Moss Puppy, The Levatio, Camas, Subliminal, Terse. Instagram / Twitter: @helengwynjones Facebook: Helen Gwyn Jones Photographic Artist