For Deb
Lord have mercy upon her,
dies irae, the surgeon’s tender hand
A cruel wonder,
what else can be taken?
A breast, a lung beneath it,
drained of air and liquid.
And on the bathroom counter an eyelash,
the last holdout,
both a question and an answer.
Dona eis requiem.

Hannah Houser (she/her) is a lifelong East Tennessean, writer, and manager of internationally renowned musicians. She has been a part of the music industry for over a decade and specializes in artist relations and management, community building, and creative content management. She holds undergraduate degrees in English and Art from Carson-Newman University, where she was named the Outstanding Graduate of 2012 in both departments. She has been previously published in The Red Branch Review, Bar Bar, Same Faces Collective, and The Pigeon Parade Quarterly. She resides with her husband and black cat in Knoxville, TN.

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