white dove by Kristina Sheehan

Above the sea
the dove is austere
(and feverish).

All the mythology
and pathos
of asceticism are encapsulated
in this white dove.

Envy splits the atoms of chastity
that attempted to germinate
in my gut.

I am neither composed
nor heroic.

I am obtuse as a snail
I am unquenchable as a dog,
sniveling at your feet,
incontinent,
and pissing on your floorboards.

Author bio:

Kristina Sheehan lives in a house with several boxes of unfinished writings and a few dozen centipedes.