African Violets

By: Callan Latham

I will count them all
shards of glass in the mirror

every part of me adds
up to nothing

I’m standing in front of violets
in front of a Renaissance painting
and wondering what do I have

tethering me to this earth
other than a few pots of flowers
and I want to say you but

I could count the plastic rivers
in a road and know that I’m already
dying and what’s more is that

probably won’t see you again
but now my stomach hurts and

I’ve been eating too much and it
reminds me of when I couldn’t sleep

but now I want to sleep
and that’s all I want to do