when grief comes

by Gail Vallance Barrington

When grief comes, a vagrant,

unsteady, wall-eyed, leaning in

with graveyard breath,

you lurch back. 

The flood rises.

Your vision blurs.

“Get away,” you stammer. 

“I have nothing for you.”

But it does not move.

“I want nothing,” it says.

“You are the one who wants.”

Gail Vallance Barrington has published short stories in Intangience: The Lighter Side of Weird, WayWords Literary Journal, and an anthology on kindness by Wising Up Press. Each story explores the concept of redemption or renewal with the help of a little magic. Her poetry has appeared in The Rumen and the Regrets Anthology published by Beyond Words: A Different Literary Magazine. Gail is currently working on several fiction projects, including some fun pop-up stories available on her website. https://gailbarrington.ca/creative-writing/