Maggie Bowyer

(they/them/theirs) is a poet, cat parent, and the author of various poetry collections including Ungodly (2022) and When I Bleed (2021). They’ve been published in Bourgeon Magazine, Capsule Stories, The Abbey Review, Troublemaker Firestarter, Wishbone Words, and more. You can find their work on Instagram and TikTok @maggie.writes. Their books and more can be found here: maggiebowyer.com/quicklinks/

Timeline (nonlinear)

Dried out, tough mushrooms wrapped up in Airhead Xtreme Belts, swallow without chewing / Blowing smoke through fiberglass mesh and watching it shove its way through to the yard / A mother mountain lion is chasing its tumbling cub down a hill / The time warp I have been sucked into is on the opposite side of the universe as love / I am sobbing in the kitchen, shoving tuna salad into my mouth, wishing memories were this easy to digest / My mom was on the stairs even though her body was incinerated two years prior / There’s a dance party in the living room / Realizing I have no idea how to love / micro naps / Take the blind dog to the bathroom / There is tuna salad on the floor, my best friends face, around my mouth / Phoning him, explaining time travel, expanding on death and lust, how nothing will ever shatter me the way the past did, why I am ready to love again / I will love / and be loved / for the first time.