Roar Remembered
By: Callie Wyrsch
All he did was open my kitchen cabinet
And fear paralyzed every thought, every word, every sense My heart dropped to my stomach like a rock My eyes darted in every direction, searching for safety In my own home
All he did was open my kitchen cabinet
And the roar of the tiger echoed in my ear
Clawing at the walls and furniture
Destroying what I had built
In my own home
All he did was open my kitchen cabinet
And I’m lying awake in the dark begging God for sleep Isolated from the outside world’s probing questions To protect the undeserving tiger
In my own home
All he did was open my kitchen cabinet
But he wasn’t the tiger disturbing the peace
The tiger had been caged months before
Why do I still feel so unsafe
In my own home
Echoes of a Stolen Kiss
By: Callie Wyrsch
Hot flash.
Goosebumps.
Heart thumps.
Toes curl.
Only six seconds
to steal a kiss in secret.
And the sweet spark from your lips, left a permanent mark in my mind.
A moonlit memory of what might have been, lingering intensity for infinity
dancing in my dreams.
The residue of what will never be
leaves me lonely and feeling bittersweet. And we haven’t spoken since.
Burning Where You Left Me
By: Callie Wyrsch
We haven’t spoken since From the crowd doesn’t count I was quite unhinged
What I thought was animosity Morphed into yearning
I did this to myself
Some kind of hell
That I don’t want to return from
Author Bio
Callie Wyrsch is a writer and poet whose storytelling began before she could write words. She holds a B.S. in Digital Media Productions from the University of Central Missouri and is the author of Connected and Uprooted. Her poetry has appeared in NoDivideKC’s Our Identidad: Vol 2, Le Journal and The Siren, known for its emotional resonance and sharp social insight. Whether through narrative or caption, Callie’s work invites genuine connection and uplifts voices often overlooked. Subscribe to her Substack: calliecw1217.substack.com. Follow her on Instagram and Threads: @calliecw1217.
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