by Amanda McLeod
The Reclamation of Myth
I’ve lost track of godliness
patiently look for any sort of truth in pixels
I don’t realize how warm it’s been
only when asphalt bakes and the air smothers
when I’m outside for longer than ten minutes
I love it, honestly, to be willing to lose water
and heel skin for the chance to drink from the river –
it’s Lethe
I’ve lost track of you
haven’t I?
forgive all the mirrors hanging around the room
who would have thought walking
into a solitary space brings relief
when sometimes it brings unease
when sometimes it brings loneliness
when sometimes solitude is a salve
when sometimes it’s a cliff
pulling you farther over the edge
even when you think
you have everything under control?
Kevin A. Risner is a product of Ohio. He is the author of Do Us a Favor (Variant Literature, 2021). He has two collections forthcoming — It’s Easy To Lose Your Breath (Match Factory Editions, 2026) and There’s No Future Where We Don’t Have Fire (Unsolicited Press, 2027). His work can be found in Ghost City Review, Gordon Square Review, Great Lakes Review, Memoir Mixtapes, Midway Journal, The Ocean State Review, and elsewhere. IG: instagram.com/kevinarisner bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mrdecember.bsky.social
Amanda McLeod writes and makes art in Canberra, Australia. She’s about to enter a season of wintering, smack in the middle of summer. Find her on socials and Substack @AmandaMWrites.