Erin Vance
The blackened ear is the third fantastical bit
the turpentine bark and the spritz,
the oil drip
ache to sit on the crumbling steps
of the ruined pitch
hidden slick, fallen sick,
skin flakes
black, like the ear
scraped into the lichenous foot
of the Styrofoam forest floor
not the concrete canvas
whinging tick
sick
sick
sick
Erin Emily Ann Vance’s work has appeared in numerous journals, including cV2, filling station, and Untethered. She was a 2017 recipient of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Young Artist Prize and a 2018 Finalist for the Alberta Magazine Awards in Fiction. She has work forthcoming in the Occulum and the Warren Review. She lives on the banks of the Bow River in Calgary with her partner and their plant babies.
