Oakley Ayden, California, USA
amongst mountain
mahogany my daughter
plops found rocks into an
emptied instant coffee crock—
like me she learns the woods
will tenderly fill each void
you bring her,
sans query.
Oakley Ayden (she/her) is an autistic, bisexual American writer from North Carolina. Her poems appear in Maw: Poetry Journal, Ghost City Review, Not Very Quiet, Sledgehammer Literary Magazine, The Minison Project, Brave Voices Magazine, The Cabinet of Heed, and elsewhere. She lives in California’s San Bernardino National Forest with her two daughters. Find her onoakleyayden.com, Twitter (@Oakley_Ayden), or Instagram (@Oakley.Ayden).