Dead Letter 3

in the morning
I was sprawled across
a white table
my legs in stirrups

things are progressing
deep ulceration
I tried to read
with all the lights out

in the dark
I heard the migratory birds
driven off course
Richard McCann died this morning

my mother told me
not everything is hereditary
I bled all over the bedspread
something alive in my gut

I thought I heard you
calling my name
does dreaming about you mean
I have to thank you for visiting?

Jesse Arnholz is a queer, writer, comedian, and artist from Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been featured in the Eunoia Review, the Washington Blade, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Windy City Times. Her work centers around chronic illness, the body, and making sense of trauma.