a literary magazine.
Alexandria Tannenbaum
active shooter villanelle
active shooter villanelle
spread long after clean up
chairs a silent sculpture balanced as a barricade
how faint can a scream muffle?
the fog of what ifs follows us back into the building
sneakers wet with sticky grass they line up like baseball cards
spread long after the clean up
blew into the belly of these days
sticks his finger deep into the pot’s earth to find the source
how faint can a scream muffle?
white walls flash and siren song
field heaving heavy with run we try to find our footing
spread long after clean up
the mold silently spreads
walls fat with float with news with drills
how faint can a scream muffle?
to watch the way girls braid panic into their curls
spread long after clean up
ears pressed firmly against the classroom door
how faint can a scream muffle?
Bio: Alexandria Tannenbaum is a poet and twice nationally board certified educator. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s degree in secondary education, English from National Louis University, and is working on her MFA from Lindenwood University. Alexandria is searching for her first publication.