None of This Exists Except Absence This is not a real road, this pavement, but still fictional traffic roars by, windows cranked down, imaginary music spilling out, bass thumping in bone marrow like the beat of an external heart—songs that exist only here, on a road full of ghosts with no on-ramp, no exit, no crossing. The sidewalk, overhung with branches burdened by cherry blossom, traps notes where roots cracked concrete. Pink petals flutter into the street like something soft and shattered, trailing after blueshifting song as it’s lost. Copyright 2022, Gail Giewont
Bio:
Gail Giewont is a teacher in the Literary Arts program at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology in Petersburg. Her chapbook, Vulture, is available from Finishing Line Press.
30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review
Beautiful!
Kind of wow. That “except absence” in the title, first of all. And how you build a sense of loss into the heart of a gritty and lyrical scene you set up as fictional. Meta with a side of heartbreak!