by Alison McBain
I used
to say hate
to people, objects
possessions
the dispossessing
fragments of creativity
changing sediments
layers of years
one by one pressed down
upon one
but
most things are
not bloody two-shoes
flickers, horror movies
ultimate
the end
most things are not to be
hated
most things lead
perfect, pleasant
tick-tock shelf-lives
unseen
unmoved
unmoving
not you, I know
and not me
not even when
I used
to say
love
Alison McBain is an award-winning author with nearly 100 short stories/poems published, including work in Litro, FLAPPERHOUSE, and The Airgonaut. In 2018, her poem “Assimilation,” published in the 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award finalist Aftermath: Explorations of Loss & Grief, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her debut fantasy novel, The Rose Queen, was named one of the best books of 2018 by the reviewer website Bookshine and Readbows. When not writing, she is the Book Reviews Editor for the magazine Bewildering Stories, and lead editor of the small press publisher Fairfield Scribes. Follow her online at alisonmcbain.com and on Twitter @AlisonMcBain.