by Nicole Zdeb

It's #tbt! Enjoy this great one from SWWIMEvery Day's archives!

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Just escaped the cosmic dustbin,
March’s swirling floodwaters, and
you’re a master of beginnings,
the bright idea, strong coffee.
You hit your head more than once
against the deliberate consideration
of others. You like to fall in love.
You like to fall.
You build landings for the sky.
Subject to high fevers,
clairvoyance and weird dreams.
You want seven
women on seven seas
to bear your silvery seed.
You speak in puffs of smoke,
your mouth a popular sculpture.
A more desperate man would reach for his hat.
You look like you’re swallowing clouds.

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Nicole Zdeb is a writer, visual artist, and astrologer based in Oregon. She holds a MFA from the University of Iowa and studied Translation Theory at CUNY and the University of Paris. After starting as a classroom teacher, she embarked on a dual career in educational publishing and astrology. She has designed learning games, an after-school arts curriculum, and consulted for NBC’s Education Nation. In 2021, Zdeb completed a Practitioner’s Level Certificate from the School of Traditional Astrology in London and launched Angela Alston Astrology, a consulting practice focused on horary astrology and creative coaching. She currently resides in Portland, OR, with her husband, writer Jamie Cooper. She is a poetry editor at Airlie Press. Her book, The End of Welcome, is forthcoming in 2025.

by Nicole Zdeb

Just escaped the cosmic dustbin,

March’s swirling floodwaters, and

you’re a master of beginnings,

the bright idea, strong coffee.

You hit your head more than once

against the deliberate consideration

of others. You like to fall in love.

You like to fall.

You build landings for the sky.

Subject to high fevers,

clairvoyance and weird dreams.

You want seven

women on seven seas

to bear your silvery seed.

You speak in puffs of smoke,

your mouth a popular sculpture.

A more desperate man would reach for his hat.

You look like you’re swallowing clouds.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nicole Zdeb is a writer living in Portland, OR. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 2011, Bedouin Press published her chapbook, The Friction of Distance. Most recently, she has had work published in Rue, Magma, and Lily Poetry.