Things I Can’t Say

Isabel Hoin

When walking through the snow in the winter,
through the fields of flowers in the summer, or
up the stairs                all

                                               the
                                                        way (to; back)

where mom lays, or to
the counter where the white flowers
soak, peeled
          peeled, from
the side of the road we have all
driven by thousands of times; I
ask if you remember their gradual blossoming–

          Remember when they first blossomed, new
          life spurri–        oh,
          I forgot you’ve been stuck, you           born
                                                                                on-looker.
Can you tell me, then, if
they, the (white flowers) bring the same scent
to the kitchen, the same smile
to mom’s face?
Or the not-smile she fails
to possess when holding your
small white box.

Isabel Hoin (she/her) is an emerging poet and student at Old Dominion University where she is a Perry Morgan fellow in their MFA program. She works at The Muse Writers Center in Norfolk, VA, teaching people of all ages the art of poetry. Her work is already in or is forthcoming in Door=Jar Magazine, Blue Press Magazine, Wild Roof Journal, Chariot Press, The Fool’s World, among others. Her poem “Writing To The Silence Of Mother’s House” was nominated by ODU MFA faculty for the AWP Intro Journal Contest. She is a Lancaster, PA native and misses the corn fields daily. You can find her at https://www.isabelhoin.com/.

Artwork: Victoria Mullen is a dual US-Greek citizen who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She enjoys writing, photography, mixed-media arts, and acting. She attributes her creative passions to her Greek heritage and the Nine Muses, who played, sang, danced, and inspired others to do the same. Victoria balances her creative spirit with the discipline and insights into human nature acquired as an attorney. Her photography will be featured in upcoming issues of ‘Beyond Words,’ ‘Cool Beans,’ and ‘The Word’s Faire’ (THE FEAST print publication). Visit her website at catboycafe.com.