This selection, chosen by Guest Editor Maggie Rue Hess, is from Running Wild by Patricia McMillen (Finishing Line Press 2024).
Forgiveness
is a hard woman insisting I spend
New Year’s Day writing an apology to her boyfriend
for things I don’t recall saying the night before, and if I did—
hell, he was drunk too. Holding up my karma as if she had
a direct line, knew even half
the things I’ve done wrong: breezing past
Salvation Army Santas, my pockets full of quarters; that day
I told the boss I was sick but just wanted to stay
home and watch TV; the sheepdog pup
I kicked. Forgiveness—ah,
forgiveness: how I wish her love were sap
that never stopped flowing, that I could tap
her like a maple tree in winter, set
my empty bucket at an angle, let
not a single drop of her sweetness run
off, flow away, across the frozen ground.
Patricia “Ti” McMillen is a musician, clown, community activist, and retired lawyer, with publications in journalism, biography, fiction and poetry. Honors include an Illinois Arts Council poetry fellowship (2002), Pushcart Prize nomination (2002), Masters degree (English) from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2005), and publication in numerous literary journals and anthologies. Patricia’s first full length poetry collection, Running Wild, was published by Finishing Line Press (Georgetown, KY) in 2024, and her poetry chapbook, Knife Lake Anthology in 2006 by Pudding House Publications (Columbus, OH). Knife Lake Anthology is now out of print.
Patricia relocated in 2025 from her home state of Illinois to Northern California, where there is sadly little public transportation, though more than enough wine. Her web address is www.knifelakeworld.com, and she posts frequently on facebook, X, the New York Times (as ChicagoPoetLawyer), and various other places under various other pseudonyms.
Maggie Rue Hess (she/her) is a PhD student living in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her partner and their crusty white dog. She serves as Poetry Co-Editor for Grist: A Journal of the Literary Arts. Her work has appeared in Rattle, Connecticut River Review, SWWIM, and other publications; her debut chapbook, The Bones That Map Us, was published by Belle Point Press in 2024. Maggie likes to share baked goods with friends and can be found on Instagram as @maggierue_.
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