Mind Game~ By Sandra Kolankiewicz

Too much sky, you said, so I shaded it, 
            the firmament become the lid to a 
                        box without windows, dark and hot within 
            like the petals of an orchid steaming 
in the jungle after a rain which then 
            became oppressive, a sauna with no 
                        door. I preferred the jar, you said. At least 
            we could see. Immediately we were 
surrounded by curved glass erasing the 
            edges of everything on the other 
                        side, holes punched in the screw-on top above 
            to give us air. But there is nowhere to 
hide, you said, not wanting to be like that 
            performance artist who lived in a clear
                        box hung on a wall and defecated 
            in public behind a towel with a 
bucket. I added a kitchen matchbox 
            on its side, partially opened and filled 
                        with crayon markings like a forgotten 
            surprise. What shall we do now, you wondered, 
that it’s just us and the stagnant air, the 
            world beyond out of focus, just a range 
                        of shifting blobs changing places, though you 
            were already sitting down with open 
palms, having surrendered to the image.
 
 
Author Bio:
Sandra Kolankiewicz's poems and fiction have appeared widely. Turning Inside Out is available from Black Lawrence Press. This past fall, Finishing Line released The Way You Will Go. In March, When I Fell, a novel with 76 illustrations, was released by Web-e-Books.