Kathryn Smith
American Girl
A dead snake, a note from a torture victim,
and a car driven intentionally
into a crowd. The celebrity posts
a selfie. This whole world is a bad
joke. The company reveals the next
Doll of the Year as the pageant announces
the wrong Miss Universe,
Miss Colombia bowing as last year’s winner
lifts the crown from her head. The giant
sea squid’s caught on camera. Everywhere,
such weight. Tell me
more. Give the catalogued bones
another once-over; they may be
someone else’s, lost royalty, key
to our existence. We are, after
all, still here.
Kathryn Smith is the author of Book of Exodus (Scablands Books, 2017). Her poems have appeared in such publications as Redivider, Mid-American Review, Bellingham Review, Carve Magazine, Southern Indiana Review, and Rock & Sling. She lives is Spokane, WA, and is the recipient of a grant from the Spokane Arts Fund.
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