Souvenir

Michele Mekel

An iridescent pearl

glistens beneath my ribs.

Its flawless beauty

created by perfect pain.

Yes, I'll hold it

safe and close.

This last gift from you:

the only one I can keep.

Author Bio:

Living in Happy Valley, MICHELE MEKEL wears many hats of her choosing: writer and editor; educator and bioethicist; poetess and creatrix; cat herder and chief can opener; witch and woman; and, above all, human. Her work has appeared in various academic and creative publications, including being featured on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac. She is also a co-principal investigator for the Viral Imaginations: COVID-19 project (viralimaginations.psu.edu)

Visit Stripes Literary Magazine

***

Stripes Literary Magazine began in 2020 and has become a home for un-categorized, unhinged and defiant work of art. We are especially dedicated to beginning and emerging creatives from all over the world.