the ghost in my house is me​

it’s my dog or cat or
nothing, someone
I cant remember who

said—it’s nothing, you heard nothing

nothing brushing past me
nothing in blind spots
nothing misplaced

it doesn’t feel like home; I think
that’s good so I might leave

I think I died, but it was like going to sleep
and waking up to the same nothing

Selected byJordan Trethewey
Image credit:Steinar Engeland

Kaci Skiles Laws is a closet cat-lady and creative writer who reads and writes voraciously in the quiet moments between motherhood and managing Crohn's Disease. She was a 2023 winner for Button Poetry's short form contest, and her short story Eugene was nominated for a pushcart prize in 2022 by Dead Skunk Mag. Her most recent poetry has appeared in 3Elements Review, River Teeth Journal, Blood Tree Literature, and elsewhere. Her poetry books, "Strange Beauty" and "Summer Storms" are available on Amazon, and her most recent chapbook, "Smile, Child" is available from Bottlecap Press.

https://kaciskileslawswriter.wordpress.com/