And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him . . . And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 2 Kings 2:23-24
I walked home under the September supermoon / giant jawbreaker in the sky / tasted the sweet in my mouth and watched shadows moving under the bushes / maybe I forgot to bring my pepper spray / maybe I wished for a spell of protection / doesn’t this feel almost biblical / and wouldn’t you rather be Elisha, calling up she-bears to maul boys / forty-two threats / every time I’ve been catcalled / every man who’s glanced my way / even in the daytime danger / no matter who you are / I got hit on my bike coming home, a car turning left / off of 13th Street / no helmet on but I got lucky / not even a scratch / walked back carrying my bike / the front wheel couldn’t turn anymore / eventually the driver of the car bought me a new one / a ten-speed / in daytime sometimes you can see the moon / until it dissolves / sugar into the cloudless sky / the urge for destruction recedes / the shadows in the bushes could be friendly / I / could be friendly
— ANNALEAH LACOSS
AnnaLeah Lacoss is an emerging poet and student of creative writing. Originally from Connecticut, she recently graduated from college in Michigan, and she is currently preparing to move to Greece for a post-graduate fellowship. Her work has previously been published in Academy of American Poets and other outlets.