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At 48
The Hyacinth Review
The Hyacinth Review

At 48

by
April 13, 2022
Painting of a bouquest of dahlias, tiger lilies, and nasturtiums
Dahlias, Kateryna Bilokur, 1957

R.B. Simon is a queer, black disabled writer who has…

And now
I become myself;
a hardened
bulb of dahlia
buried under
winter’s compacted earth.

Swelling with sun,
I break apart into tentacles
seeking the living air.

Bare and hot,
I raise my petaled head
and bow to the wind,
my only master.

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R.B. Simon is a queer, black disabled writer who has been published in multiple journals, among them pacificREVIEW, The Poetry Coop, Strange Horizons, Literary Mama, CALYX, and Obsidian. Her chapbook, The Good Truth, was released in July 2021 from Finishing Line Press, and was a Finalist in the WI Fellowship of Poets Chapbook Contest. Her upcoming full-length collection, Not Just the Fire, is forthcoming in March 2023 from Cornerstone Press. In her free time, she enjoys creating visual art, napping, and coffee-flavored caffeine. She is currently living in Madison, WI with her spouse and newborn daughter.

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