African Violets

By: Callan Latham

I will count them all

shards of glass in the mirror



every part of me adds

up to nothing



I’m standing in front of violets

in front of a Renaissance painting

and wondering what do I have



tethering me to this earth

other than a few pots of flowers

and I want to say you but



I could count the plastic rivers

in a road and know that I’m already

dying and what’s more is that

probably won’t see you again

but now my stomach hurts and



I’ve been eating too much and it

reminds me of when I couldn’t sleep



but now I want to sleep

and that’s all I want to do