Nine of Wands

mollusc
by Henry L. Petrillo

garden bellied hellion:
little rages in hyssop mulch
long reed fingers slink out —
nitrous film negatives

in any form, in any timeline, you:
fit into the segmented center of
my chest / root out the rot

preserve this heart for all that it is:
soft and muscled and scaled
I had to take this suit to the tailor
— hem it snug

love is neither a flame
nor a triumph / instead, simply
consistency of thought

Henry L. Petrillo (he/him) is an aspiring author from New Jersey, and is likely floating around somewhere in the Midwest at the time of publication. He spends his nights and early mornings baking bread, packing boxes, and coming up late with the catering.