by Keri Withington
photos of the oximeter
fill my camera roll
44
88
92
numbers and dates
scattered like dandelion seeds
on hot summer streets
low pulse rate in the morning
(check when especially tired)
low oxygen rate after exercising or
after staying up too late or waking
up too early or being on my feet too
long or just after…
the now familiar feeling
of my lungs being squeezed or flattened
lying on my belly for air
stretching out my shoulders
the exhaustion of needing more exhaustion
of making this feeling normal
Keri Withington is an educator, poet, and aspiring homesteader. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including The Wild Word and Dwelling Literary. She has published two chapbooks: Constellations of Freckles (Dancing Girl Press) and Beckoning from the Waves (Plan B Press). Withington lives with her husband, three children, and four fur babies in the Appalachian foothills. You can find her in Zoom classes for Pellissippi State, planting in her yard, or on FB (@KeriWithingtonWriter). Nancy Andrews is an artist living outside of Philadelphia. Self taught in photography, she has been perfecting her images for over 15 years. Her subjects include abstracts, images inspired by nature, and observations of the world around her. Along with photography, she spends her days teaching art to little ones, playing ukulele and romping with her two little pups.
Global Poemic 