Ray Ball is a writer and history professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. When not in the classroom or the archives of Europe and Latin America, she enjoys running marathons, hiking, reading, and spending time with her spouse Mark and beagle Bailey. Her poems have appeared in  journals such as Alaska Women Speak, Foliate Oak, and NatureWriting. 

Cancer Sun Shimmers

Peripatetic Capricorn / a solo venture / on the booster pack / Mars, during this self-focused
groove. / Planets / activate your / escape. / You'll reboot from the / power of Leo’s moons /
cavort / upgrade / healing / stars ignite / stoking the embers of a / solar bonfire / illuminating / a
caution flag / allow for a champion / in your secretive / negotiations / when you'll be the / global
nomad / dueling as the sun / lingers you / unearth pain or memories. / Glittering / sizzles / white-
hot clash / quiet in your domestic zone. / Then radical. / Debut maximalist / queen bee. / BBQs
and family reunions / call you back to Venus. / Dine / talk baubles, bambinos, or other big plans /
the full moon / snatches away.

Author’s Note: This is an erasure poem. The original text is the Horoscope by the Astrotwins published in the July 2017 issue of Elle.