“Murder” © Jj D’Onofrio

 

from Letters to Liz Kendall

iii.

Liz, do I still live within you? Is my blood
still a cause of concern for you?
Because I will never forgive myself
for what became my death.
I will never look against the haunted winds
for your destiny, or to know you
as the victim or the witch of my curiosity.
You were always too good for that.

Am I part of your psyche now?
Did I kill enough to make your heart
wander in its forgiveness?
Look at me, writing you apish letters
from the heavens that gave me birth.
I am obviously a fool, a tortured fool.

 

Dustin Pickering is founder of Transcendent Zero Press and founding editor of Harbinger Asylum. He placed as a finalist in Adelaide Literary Journal’s short story contest in 2018, and contributed to Huffington Post briefly. He recently met his soulmate online who is currently stranded in Australia. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Jj D’Onofrio: “I like to scour the world for bits and pieces, cultural artifacts and emotional trappings in an effort to create artwork which hopefully reflects a reality unbeknownst to the viewer. The translation of an idea or a vision into some semblance of form is to me, a journey that never disappoints.”