Fellow writer K.M. Pohlkamp messaged me on Twitter to request a #freepoem for her novel Apricots and Wolfsbane. This was such a fun request, because the novel is adult historical fiction about a female assassin who uses poison. That inspired me right away with this short poem:

of the same kind

a drop of poison
thief dead on the floor
saw off his finger
he keeps the ruby ring no more

There’s something about historical fiction that makes me want to rhyme! You should read an excerpt from the book to see the rich inspiration for this poem.

For the second poem, I tried to encapsulate the most unusual aspect of the protagonist which is that she is devoutly religious and reconciles this with her killings by confession. Here it is:

I enjoy

the squeak of a chair
watching their eyes realize
life was draining away

the stillness of the body
when my poison won
taking proof

the silence when it was done
echoing in my head
until confession welcomed God’s voice back

Hope you like them! Check out K.M. Pohlkamp’s website!

Feel free to message me on Twitter @GeorgiaTell if you want a #freepoem.