Everyone writes about the cicadas

by Zoë Davis

but never the silverfish
​eating history
sometimes wallpaper
feral in a bookshelf. I relate
to being called
something I am not
sexy sibilant sanguinity
static air
thumb-rubbed roll-up
yellowing tin. In the attic
other insects are singing
belly full of coins
I scoffed the pair
placed over my eyes.

* * *

ZOË DAVIS is a Sheffield-based writer, wheelchair rugby league player, and stubborn FND fighter. Her poetry and prose blend the fantastical with the mundane. Find her work in Strix and Roi Fainéant, or chat with her on X @MeanerHarker.

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