A. Riel Regan: Wounded Kitchen

Wounded Kitchen 

(CW: domestic violence)

Bruises, scars, and gaping wounds
mar the walls of my parent's kitchen
at various stages of healing.
I can't remember why they're there,
and only barely recall who caused them.
Mother's fist caused the deep bruise by the sink.
Sister's boot, the scar above the vent.
The newest gaping wound?
My head spins.
My mother is screaming.
My sister is thrashing.
My head pounds.

A. Riel Regan is an emerging author of poetry and fiction with an intense appreciation for "the human heart in conflict," as Faulkner said. Their writing often deals with themes of conflict within the self, chronic illness, knowing oneself through nature, and spiritual connections. Their poetry has been featured in Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Pegasus, and The Curious Nothing. When not writing or reading, they find themselves killing half their houseplants and boldly defending the other half from their cats.