ANHEDONIA

by Jerene-Elise Nall

The avocado ripening
on the counter has
softened past its prime.

Define neglect. Does it
always sound like a baby
crying? Can it start

with low batteries
in the fire alarm, or the
wasting of a fruit?

The mind hoards pain
in strange places.

Jerene-Elise Nall (she/her/hers) is a queer Capricorn residing in Oak Park, Illinois. She is a copywriter by day and a cryptid by night.