“L’un ou l’autre” © Bill Wolak

 

A Quarter Teaspoon of Salt in a Half Cup of Warm Water

Half-words scrape my throat, ending sentences with a high-pitched screech. My mom used to tell me to drink saltwater, “You’ll feel better.” The fog within the glass crystallizes on my tongue plunging to the bottom until it explodes, calming the embers of the uncontrolled blaze. The smoke escapes, lurching me forward and I grip the counter. The ashes flicker as I open the cabinet. An expired prescription sticks to the inside, the corner folded over.

 

Pam Avoledo is a graduate of Oakland University.

Bill Wolak has just published his eighteenth book of poetry entitled All the Wind’s Unfinished Kisses with Ekstasis Editions. His collages and photographs have appeared recently in the 2020 Seattle Erotic Art Festival, the 2020 Dirty Show in Detroit, the 2019 Rochester Erotic Arts Festival, the 2018 Montreal Erotic Art Festival, and Naked in New Hope 2018.