Alec Solomita’s fiction has appeared in the Southwest Review, The Mississippi Review, Southword Journal, and The Drum (audio), among other publications. He was shortlisted by the Bridport Prize and Southword Journal. His poetry has appeared in The Ekphrastic Review, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, The Galway Review, Bold + Italic, Litbreak, Subterranean Blue Poetry, The Blue Nib, Red Dirt Forum, and elsewhere. His chapbook, “Do Not Forsake Me,” was published in 2017 and is still available at Finishing Line Press and Amazon. His first full-length book of poetry was published last April by Kelsay Press. He lives in Massachusetts.

Duty

My mother’s only sister,
death’s fledgling,
is ninety-four and ready
to spread her frayed feathers
above a quiet, easy breeze that should usher
her into the oblivion she’s desired for years.

And it is my duty
to spread my JetBlue wings
and fly two thousand miles
to say goodbye. While
she looks forward
with something like joy,
something like trepidation seizes me.

I’ve forgotten how to live is the thing.
In short, I’m afraid: reservations,
tickets, Ubers, shoes, masks,
and the new savages
throwing punches in the sky.