By Catherine Arra
Resolved, backbone-strong, watching
him that foggy May morning,
that last day to fetch the last
of his belongings neatly front-porch boxed and stacked,
watching him, a spy behind curtains and lampshades,
load the car, rack his bikes and finally, I release
an excited-to-see-dad-again dog out the front door,
watch her furry butt bound to him,
leap into the passenger’s seat, watch him drive
away with 23 years of my life, unable to imagine
the fracturing, the numbness, what happens
next before I can walk again.
Catherine Arra is the author of four full-length collections and five chapbooks. Her newest full-length, Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press, September 2026. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York with her partner Alex Stolis and their dog Daisy. Find her at www.catherinearra.com