Ode To Fragile

despite an infrastructure of concealed rituals

they appear

bats springing out of porcelain bells

two hands

are as vulnerable

as what they wish to save

(by Shabnam Piryaei)

Shabnam Piryaei was born in Iran and raised in the U.S. Her work has been published in several journals including The Florida Review, Runes: A Review of Poetry, Flashquake, and The Furnace Review. She has been awarded the Poets & Writers Amy Award for poetry, as well as an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. Currently she is developing three short films based on her writings.