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Writer's pictureThe Ice Colony

Shallow Roots

by Nicole Luttrell


The town where my family

became Americans

Our roots ran shallow

I'm the only one left

The town that embraces me

A beloved child

But the warm hug is tainted

A racist uncle

who never forgets my birthday

Downtown is scarred

A sidewalk broken up

with dandelions pushing through

The best and brightest move

leaving the mediocre and the

lost souls like me behind

Too scared to turn away

from the only thing

that's ever held me

Where I was married

Where my foremothers are buried

First jobs, first steps

Last long goodbyes

To walk it is to see memories

Dripping from traffic lights

Snowflakes and root beer barrels

Fires and friends lost

I'll cut the last ties

Let the strings drift away

Like so much trash

to plant deep roots

somewhere new



About the Author

Nicole is a speculative fiction author. That means she writes about dragons, ghosts and spaceships. Sometimes she writes about the ghosts of dragons on spaceships. She lives in Western PA with her dog, cat and husband. She makes the best pasta salad ever. Follow along with her writing adventures at PaperBeatsWorld.com




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