Peeling the Onion

Sometimes the paper membrane resists
and I’m left to decide whether to lift

another entire layer or whether
to gouge loose just that section,

which makes sense in terms of prudence
but ruins the brief pearl.

Sometimes the layers are so thick
I wonder what was happening in the garden

that particular week. Maybe too much,
not enough rain or threat of neighboring rows.

The simple answer is tears. Persistence
through the cutting. Sulfuric simmer

long enough to allow soft transparency,
obliterate the enclosure.











Micki Blenkush lives in St. Cloud, MN and works as a social worker. She was selected as a 2017-2018 fellow in poetry for the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series program and is a 2015 & 2019 recipient of grants awarded through the Central MN Arts Board. Her book, Now We Will Speak in Flowers, is forthcoming with Blue Light Press, summer of 2020. Micki’s writing has recently appeared in Typishly, Cagibi, and Crab Creek Review. www.mickiblenkush.com

See more of her work in 8.3 and 8.3 again