This selection, chosen by guest editor john compton, is from Scavenger by Jessica Lynn Suchon (YesYes Books 2024).
content warning for animal death, domestic violence and feticide
An Unkindness
Scavengers found the doe before us, but we find
what is left—bloated stomach pulled so tight
the skin split
like the seam of a leather canteen. Intestines,
still spotted pink in the dark rotten, slip
into snow. The stink of old blood and mold
rise into the chill. A viscera stitched together with lace-
webbed sinew.
I barely recognize the heart,
a muscle like any other.
I can’t look away. The doe’s mouth: unhinged
steel trap. The neck bone snapped and curved
back like a ceramic bowl. He and I stand still over the body. Afraid
it means never being able to leave him,
I do not tell him I’m pregnant.
I know the next time I make him angry,
he will kill the baby.
I want him to.
Jessica Lynn Suchon is the author of Scavenger, winner of the 2018 Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest from YesYes Books. She completed her MFA at Southern Illinois University where she received honors from the Academy of American Poets. Her work was featured in Best New Poets 2021 and was awarded fellowships from Aspen Words and Tennessee Playwrights Studio. Jessica’s poems have appeared in Copper Nickel, Willow Springs, Ninth Letter, Yemassee, The Pinch, Muzzle Magazine, and RHINO Poetry, among others. Her debut stage play Shopgirls premiered at the Dark Horse Theater Chapel in Nashville as part of the 2019 Tennessee Playwright Festival. Jessica’s librettos have debuted internationally in performances by EKMELES Vocal Ensemble, the Eureka Ensemble, and the Albany Symphony, among others. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband Josh and sweet pup Gracie.
- The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Roadmap: A Choreopoem by Monica Prince - April 3, 2026
- Meet Our New Intern: Tara Rahman - April 2, 2026
- We Call Upon the Author to Explain—Noel Quiñones - April 2, 2026