Funeral of a Musician
Here lies a musician unwilling to fulfill
their duty. A silver flute with a gold lip
plate turns cold to the touch. Silence fills
the air, and a pitch wavers off-key.
Silence is the melody while guilt plays
the harmony. A flute rots in the corner,
pads become sticky, and screws become
loose. A musician lies breathless, a voice
becomes silent, and a musician is unable
to fulfill their duty.
Rosé wine, and i am dreaming all the time
memories of pain form their own narrative
as my eyes squeeze shut to the sound of
heavy thunderstorms and rain.
/
i stand face to face with a monster
that always made me feel small.
i was never given the chance to
look him in the eye and make him
taste his own medicine.
/
i see an opportunity.
i ball up my fists, scream in terror,
and swing with the energy of a woman.
/
a barrier. a wall of resistance.
no amount of energy can break through this glass.
i will always be a child in his presence.
/
if only there was rosé wine
when i was nine.
outlaw
a nickname written on
a basket of flowers
in the color red.
there was hope before the
placement of those flowers.
hope of you going to school,
hope of you forming a relationship with me,
hope of you staying sober.
but when you were supposed to be home
you were gone,
and i didn’t know where you were.
i saw you, uncle—makeup creasing
under your eyes, hands cold to the touch,
a chain necklace around your neck,
and a tattoo of my name on your arm
covered with dirt.
Toni Leeann Fragosa is a Senior at University of the Cumberlands and graduates in the Spring of 2024. She is currently an Elementary Education major with an emphasis in English. She has a minor in Creative Writing. She finds writing poetry to be therapeutic.
Pensworth 