She struggles to breathe in the icy air,
gulping trouble and guile from voices
not her own.
She has learned to skate between
dazzlers and blunderers on the gridlocked
city rink,
ankles burning with intent and
tentative discovery of the sweet
spot for
equipoise, remaining mostly upright,
steering into a valiant glide, knowing
a fall
is imminent, inescapable
when risking the thrill of
the ride.
Kate Falvey’s work has been published in many journals and anthologies in the U.S., Ireland, and the U.K.; in a full-length collection, The Language of Little Girls (David Robert Books); and in two chapbooks. She co-founded (with Monique Ferrell) and edited the 2 Bridges Review, which was published through City Tech/CUNY, where she teaches, and is an associate editor for the Bellevue Literary Review.