The weekend night has a gash in its belly,
deep and red, bleeding smoke
into the cool, darkening sky. Tomorrow,
we’ll mourn in our own way
under stale Monday morning sun,
or in the pools of our noon shadows.
At home, this grief drives us to mementos:
bedsheets browned from barefoot walks,
the bitter smoke smell from the clothes in the corner.

Devon Neal (he/him) is a Kentucky-based poet whose work has appeared in many publications, including HAD, Stanchion, Stone Circle Review, Livina Press, and The Storms, and has been nominated for Best of the Net. He currently lives in Bardstown, KY with his wife and three children.