swifts  &  s l o w s · a quarterly of crisscrossings

constellations fall into open palms
Caroline Reddy

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The Galaxies Bear Witness

My smile alchemizes layers
of skin from my father’s face
as I spice up a recipe
snap witch hazel
and release toxins from devil’s night—

I engage in the dance of life,
sweep up a potion
allowing the allure of rose petals
to create solar frequencies from wounds
as I exit the hollow wind

and swim in the moonlight.

I toss aside scattered seashells,
and let go of the last bits of tantrum—
my tantric breath releases

cleanses:

isolation on the Island

constellations
fall into open palms.

Rising Above the Din

In rising above the din
I created a wake in the cosmos,
and dismantled societal gears:

I stirred up the sun
underneath my cuticles
and sealed up the black hole.

I allowed fireworks to ripen
my belly with laughter–
and     spaced

my devotion.

I let go of the swordsman
who had consumed my heart
and felt the air shape a shrine

above my crown

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Caroline Reddy’s work has appeared in Active Muse,Calliope, Clinch, Cultural Daily, Grey Sparrow, Starline, and Tupelo Quarterly Review among others. In the fall of 2021, her poem “A Sacred Dance” was nominated for the Best of The Net prize by Active Muse. A native of Shiraz, Iran, Caroline’s work has also appeared in the anthology Iranian Women Speak to raise awareness for ZanZendegiAzadi/WomenLifeFreedom (International Human Rights Arts Festival.) Her first manuscript Shake the Atmosphere to Reclaim an Empty Moment is forthcoming with Pierian Springs Press.