Author Archives: Hollay Ghadery

About Hollay Ghadery

Hollay Ghadery is a writer living in small-town Ontario. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry have been published in various literary journals, including The Malahat Review, Room, CAROUSEL, Grain, and The Fiddlehead. Her memoir, Fuse, was published with Guernica Editions’ MiroLand in Spring 2021.

Yepsen

This entry was posted on by .

Yepsen

 
Burn blisters from the woodstove,
the whole of my dog’s snout, a
frost-shattered axe blade and the
fine thread between what I want
and the ditch of sky.

The fine line
between my silence and splinters
in my palm. A mouthful of thistle.

The burden of indifference, difference;
an indefiniteness of standing. A bird’s
eye view of the shoreline and a pocket
book of birds. A gift.

The blood of my
ancestors. The burden: the fork in my
blood. The fine line between being who
I am and getting what I want.

 

painting showing a single bird in a tree by the shore

The View from Here by Sabine Kearns


 

Instructions for Lucretia

This entry was posted on by .

Instructions for Lucretia

 

Take a spoonful of sugar for the hiccups
Dash his brains into his mouth
Map the stretch marks on your thighs
Stay grounded by looking up
Inhale the sky
Avoid long speeches
Call your mother, talk about the day you were born
Admit to nothing
Open the window and roll the sun between your fingers
Laugh until it hurts
Until you cry
Cry
Measure your comfort in crow miles,
the distance between your life and honour
Wear your jewels to bed
Don’t make or ask for promises
Slice open the underbelly of every cloud
Let it rain
Let them drown.

 

Ceramic book by Marla Benton titled "The Secrets to Survival"

The Secrets to Survival by Marla Benton (ceramic)

 

Listen to Hollay Ghadery read “Instructions for Lucretia.”