Boy with blanket

First and foremost, it is a shield

against monsters dragging
buckets of sludge —

water across matted shag.

It’s about his size,
maybe a bit bigger than

out-stretched arms asked to neatly fold

a square cloth. Cover this
body, a ghost

from all possible angles.
Light let in only

if there is light to begin with.

Nicolas Visconti studies creative writing and has work forthcoming in Prelude Magazine.

A long-time photographer and poet, Elaine Verdill also paints with acrylics. Her images can be found in such publications as Calyx, A Journal of Art and Literature for Women; Foliate Oak Literary Magazine and The Sonder Review.