ekphrastic after Christine Crockett
“Graphing Uncertainty V”
Maybe the problem is I spilled my martini
or that it was made with a squashed maraschino
instead of an olive. Maybe instead of cherry juice
it was actually my heart spilling under the door.
I burst through the caution tape and contaminated
the crime scene. I kept the receipts but deleted
all the photos. Don’t worry, I’ll always balance
the books in our favor. You won’t believe how
many I can carry on my head. The call always
comes from inside the royal flush, a breath
could bring the whole house down. I’m
almost ready to forgive you, for leaving me
here with decks of playing cards scattered
on the floor, all the aces missing.
Allison Burris grew up in the Pacific Northwest and currently lives in Oakland, California. Her poems affirm stories and cultural memory through surrealism and whimsy. She received her MLIS from San Jose State University and her poetry appears and is forthcoming in various journals, including Passionfruit Review, Hoxie Gorge Review, Heartlines Spec, and Metphrastics. Connect with her via https://linktr.ee/allisonburris.