Mantis 22 (Summer 2024)
()bservations
Taylor Franson-Thiel
In the Mingling Sounds of Ribbits and Rain
almighty tectonic plate I become, pulling
from my calf a key which unlocks the door
to the room containing the star I gave birth to.
I swallow it whole, unsettled at how sweet
it tastes to ignore my past. My name means to sew, to fix,
to stitch gossamer moondust to my eyelids
like I can pretend I don’t remember the scent
of salt lakes or the trumpet call of marble temples.
Call it my personal atonement, as I look
at each planet and realize they are all mirrors.
I could skim pebbles across the surface of my
tongue, only to find they’ll never sink.
I place a pointer finger in each ocean, then put both
to my tongue. Salt, more salt.
TAYLOR FRANSON-THIEL is a poet from Utah, now based in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her Master’s in creative writing from Utah State University and is pursuing an MFA at George Mason University. Her writing frequently centers on the intersections between the female body, religion, and her experiences as a college athlete. You can find her work in places such as Psaltery and Lyre, Quarter Press, The Bangalore Review and others. Along with writing, she enjoys lifting heavy weights and reading fantastic books.