Photography © Edward S. Gault

 

thorns and claws

i remember being the
spooky girl

drawn to horror and the macabre
finding each of these fascinating,
i wanted to be like morticia addams
or cartoon version lydia deetz

because i have always liked
strong female characters that were
a little weird because i have never
embraced normality nor wanted
anything to do with it;

these ladies encouraged me to be myself
in a world that told me to be less of who i was—

some girls are soft petals and flowers,
whilst others of us embrace our thorns and claws;
and each of us is beautiful and should be
celebrated.

 

Linda M. Crate’s (she/her) poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has ten published chapbooks the latest being: Hecate’s Child (Alien Buddha Publishing, November 2021). She also has four full-length poetry collections and three poetry micro-collections. She, herself, is strange and unusual.

Edward S. Gault is a poet and fine art photographer. He lives at Mosaic Commons, a co-housing community in Berlin, Ma.