Return to Top of Page
Menu
  • Close
  • About Us
  • Contributors
  • Donate
  • Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Submissions
  • 20 Years
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Search Website
Literary Mama
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Departments
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
Photo by bharath g s on Unsplash

Poetry | March/April 2021

Vacancy

By Kristen Staby Rembold

When a young person goes out 
in search of their life, 
however one tries to imagine them,
it's their body and substance one misses,
the rub and resin of them, 
by which I don't mean just the touch
(the rasp of a voice is a thing I love),
not just surfaces, but whatever glows
from beneath, satin or eggshell,
the weft and warp of plaited hair
a mother could put her hand to, could do for a child,
and not just that, their shadow, the footfall  
one expects to hear in the hall or on the steps
momentarily—before one thinks.


3 replies on “Vacancy”

Christine Ssays:
April 23, 2021 at 7:19 pm

Beautiful. The “rasp of a voice” line really got me. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Anna A Perduesays:
May 5, 2021 at 6:31 pm

Beautifully conveyed.
Their absence is louder than their childhood banshee screaming.

Reply
Anita Cabrerasays:
May 16, 2021 at 10:21 am

Love the reference to the presence — “the footfall one expects to hear” –before even being conscious.

Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This Page

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Copy Link

Kristen Staby Rembold

Learn More

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Don't miss out on Literary Mama news and updates

[mc4wp_form id="24407"]
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Instagram
  • RSS

© 2023 Literary Mama | Search Site | About Us | Staff | Submissions | Privacy Policy