Feature of the Week – Poetry by Linda M. Crate

Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you a new and wonderful poetess: Linda M. Crate. We hope you enjoy this feature.

Bio

Linda M. Crate (she/her) is a Pennsylvanian writer whose poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has twelve published chapbooks the latest being: Searching Stained Glass Windows For An Answer (Alien Buddha Publishing, December 2022). She is also the author of the novella Mates (Alien Buddha Publishing, March 2022). Her debut book of photography Songs of the Creek (Alien Buddha Publishing, April 2023) was recently published. 

do I drift upon your focus?

the sky was honey
and ribbons of rose,
i found you in those
strands of pink pearls
the sky wore;

i read a book
there was a faerie
i was reminded
of your fae song—

i listened to music
we used to know together,
and thought of you;

many moons and oceans
part us

but the memories remain—

i wonder if i ever drift
upon your focus,
because you always drift
upon mine.

---

don’t cross me or my crows

i am looking for those who are interested in the mythology of my bones, the lyrics of my soul, and the garden of my heart;

i don’t want to be tolerated as i have been my entire life but celebrated—

because i swallowed down things that i should have never, disregarded myself, thought lesser of my magic than i ought;

but now i am rising up on the wings of the phoenix to burn everything that no longer serves me—

wish i could be loved as i am, not in the image of whatever dream they conjured forth; i am not your fantasy—i am a witch full of love and light but also rage and nightmares, don’t cross me or my crows.

---