by Giulio R.M. Maffii
Firstborns’ Eden
In the beginning just two of us cousins
no siblings yet
no family fallout
no exile
no drought
no Farm-Aid
no GMO corn
no drunken affairs
no gravel spitting from the wheels
of a ‘69 Mustang
Nothing between us
but eight months and metal
handlebars of a two-person swing
Beneath us, a spade strikes
prairie rattler my father
God of Death and Salvation
flat crush and slice of poison
averted
I remember no warning buzz
no escort from the garden.
I remember only the cresting arc of joy
swinging through my belly
knocking into the apex of my heart
I remember the forked branches of locust trees
tickling bare heels tongues of sunshine
flicking my cousin’s gappy smile
we cackled like crows each time the wind coiled
through cedar windbreak to taste our hairlines.
I remember the ripe fruit of laughter
us biting into flesh.
K Anand-Gall (they/them) is a former academic turned trauma-informed clinical social worker who works with children and families. Holding degrees in Creative Writing from Miami University and San Francisco State University, K’s writing has appeared most recently in matchbook, Bull, Gargoyle, Gutter, and The Linden Review. They are the 2023 Academy of American Poets Betty Jane Abrahams Memorial Poetry Prize winner. Find K on the socials @kanandgall or at kanandgall.com.
Giulio R.M.Maffii was born in Florence (Italy). His work focuses on poetry (linear, experimental and visual) and its dissemination. He has been published in numerous international magazines, also as a visual artist. He collaborates with the theatre company “Bubamara Teatro” and teaches at the University of Florence. He enjoys playing with photography and collage. IG @giulinom
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