Give Up the Saw Jennifer

She came out from under the bed and summoned the pines, the elm, the oak, and that night, they came inside. I should have known she would do this when I saw the little splinters protruding from her neck and hands, how they were already a part of her. The splinters invaded my heels. I could not extract them, like words from my tongue. The trees in the forest lay down, dragged themselves through the front door. Give up the saw Jennifer they hissed, their pine needles spraying the foyer.

Jennifer MacBain-Stephens went to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and now lives in the DC area. Recent chapbooks are out or forthcoming from Grey Book Press, Dancing Girl Press and Shirt Pocket Press. Her first full length collection is forthcoming from Lucky Bastard Press. Recent work can be seen or is forthcoming at Jet Fuel Review, Pith, Freezeray, So to Speak, Entropy, Right Hand Pointing, Chiron Review, and decomP.