The kind of human who can walk through a dump and see wings, Michelle believes people make too much of distinctions: hair vs. headscarf, bike vs. cane, breast vs. scar the shape of the crescent moon. Butterfly or moth—both so beautiful. Even caterpillars, she thinks, wrapping her quilt tighter.
Angeline Schellenberg is the author of Tell Them It Was Mozart (Brick, 2016), Fields of Light and Stone (UAP, 2020), and Mondegreen Riffs (At Bay Press, forthcoming 2024). She hosts Speaking Crow: Winnipeg’s longest-running poetry open mic. See more at AngelineSchellenberg.WordPress.com.
So glad you won the week. I read your story far too quickly the first time around and missed the depth and beauty of your message. What a world it would be if we all could see a wing, and better still, look for it. Thank you for this, Angeline.
Well done for getting in the best micro fiction 2024 anthology!