- Make a list of all the things that made you crumple in (must be handwritten on a paper napkin).
- Pack all their things into a box to leave at their door, or the curb. You want everything of theirs gone. Make note of the belongings that caused the most strife in your relationship.
- Drink coffee while you stare out the window.
- Notice where you feel voids in your body.
- Look for their “diamond” ::cough:: cubic zirconia earrings like they’re your own.
- Ask yourself: Do you feel hollow or is it a sense of unfamiliar peace?
- Turn the soil over in your garden. Plant hollyhocks and lavender.
- Stop searching for the earrings. They will appear or they won’t. And besides they’ve done everything they can to show you they don’t want them back. It was just a power play.
- Make moon water; use it to wash the dishes that they never cleaned, remove muddy handprints from the wall.
- Remind yourself you are not a free babysitting service.
- Remind yourself you are the main character of your own life, but they didn’t want you to see it. You were supposed to remain their devoted fan.
- Drink honeyed tea, while writing gratitude lists.
- Sing in the shower again. Move with intention while you get ready for the day.
- Notice the friends who call and check in. The ones who make you laugh and listen.
- Breathe. You are free.
Bio: Marisa Silva-Dunbar’s work has been published in ArLiJo, Chanterelle’s Notebook, Pink Plastic House, Sledgehammer Lit, Analogies & Allegories Literary Magazine. She has work forthcoming in The Bitchin’ Kitsch. Her second chapbook, “When Goddesses Wake,” was released in December, 2021 from Maverick Duck Press. Her first full-length collection, “Allison,” was recently published by Querencia Press. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @thesweetmaris. To check out more of her work go to http://www.marisasilvadunbar.com
Fevers of the Mind 