ELIZABETH MERCURIO is a poet living in Tampa, Florida. She earned an MFA in poetry from The Solstice Low-Residency Program of Pine Manor College. Her work has appeared in, Third Point Press, Philadelphia Stories, The Skinny Poetry Journal, The Literary Nest, and Fledgling Rag. She was nominated for a Best of the Net award and was the 2016 recipient of The Sharon Olds Fellowship for Poetry.
From Doll:
STAY
The lilies in the greenhouse ― shiver,
wither in dim light.
It is raining.
You drink your root beer,
hope to keep it down.
Put the guitar away.
You’re done with it.
It’s too late
for a love letter,
but you write one anyway.
You load the shotgun,
prepare the heroin one last time.
Lay your wallet
on the floor.
Stab a pen through the note
into a pot of soil.
In the morning fresh lilies will arrive ―
in the breath of first light.