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Kellyanne Fitzgerald

since we are at once, in several timestreams

A Poem by Kellyanne Fitzgerald

since we are at once, in several timestreams


the pastoral: cheese and apple cider for dinner

quarrel about who did the litter last, toothbrushes, tax deductions

and how many bookshelves this warm room needs. time ticking slow

as scrubbing egg from a casserole dish


the apocalyptic: morality of bringing children into this husking world.

digital shoppers and clothing tentacles on beaches, plastic straws

Amazon choking futures into pale possibilities. time all gone

used up already- living in the afterimage of the camera flash


the personal: blue limitless sky in memory as you push

from the wall into the pool, bubbles and chlorine and thousands of hours

distilled into three seconds of wavering water, cool happiness -

and the three ugly seconds that you live in for hours, playing again, and again, and


the escapist: arguing about Van Gogh, or Fleabag, or roaming Minecraft

sinking into the Phantom Tollbooth, or Narnia, or any other portal

to forgetting. time slung and strung out like telephone wires

carrying you tiny and buzzing, above the gritted roads and ragweed


the tragic: holes in the veils thrown hastily over grief

distance between hearts on google maps, the forgotten biscuit recipe

the last handmade birthday card from both grandparents.

where time is a racehorse and we are begging it to slow down


and since we have not been given a choice about our interesting times

i give you permission to occupy whichever needs you most.




Kellyanne Fitzgerald is a writer and artist based in Madison, Wisconsin. In her free time she enjoys language learning, fiber arts, and folk art illustration.



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