as evening falls

by Claire Taylor

A woman on the street sees

My belly and says 

You must be an optimist

What else is there

but this moment

              — my life

a seed planted

straining

to survive

There is nowhere to go 

but forward

             — home

as evening falls and lights blink on

windows glowing 

like eyes

my five-year-old says 

our house is a face

I open the door and 

let the mouth 

swallow me whole

Claire Taylor writes for both adult and youth audiences. She is the founding editor of Little Thoughts Press, a quarterly print magazine for and by kids, and she serves as an editor for Capsule Stories. Her debut picture book, Benjamin's Sad Day, is forthcoming from Golden Fleece Press. Claire lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and can be found online at clairemtaylor.com.