Assault

“A crazed gymnast laboring over a cold corpse.” — Cormac McCarthy, from Child of God

I snap the book shut,
try to erase his grim words,
but I can’t escape.
Even a trip to the store
is horrifying. I watch

as a lady thumps
a melon, caresses it,
lowers an ear to
its veiny flesh, and heaves it
into her cart with a grunt.

Hannah Jane Weber’s poetry has been published in I-70 Review, Kansas City Voices, Oasis, The Poeming Pigeon, The Seattle Star, and Wrath-Bearing Tree. She is also a recipient of the Dylan Thomas American Poet Prize. Hannah Jane is a children’s librarian and tennis enthusiast. She lives with her husband and their golden retrievers.