Lullaby

Poem
Written By Charity Yost Reed

For a child, the sun takes too long to rise,

fire through sticks left of autumn trees.

She lifts the shotgun and both barrels blow.

Load and pull. Load and pull.

Shells smoke to the frosted ground.

Their bodies are broken through and through,

black winged drips in sunrise dew.


Chick-chick, pull. Chick- chick, pull.
Six doves for dinner and tucking herself in.

Cover photo by Bernadetta Watts

Charity Yost Reed

Charity Yost Reed has a BA in English from North Greenville University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Ashland University. She teaches English and Poetry Writing at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina. Charity and her husband Ben live on a century farm where she often writes with their twin boys and miniature schnauzer playing in the background.

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