Taylor Franson-Thiel
Canon
Pain holds on : to me : like a saint : holds the door handle
in the confessional : wanting to escape : by axing
through wooden skin: when he hears too much sin
for him to handle : Shaking at locked things
like they are : holy : Pain is a saint : Reminding me of each
and every weakness : as I try : to light glaciers on fire
to stay warm : Pain is shaped : like a mountain : Like a saint
killing a mountain : stone by stone : Holding penance under
water 'til it grows : gills Like a saint : who drowned
in holy water : Pain is boats and oars : bowing : to a maelstrom
Primrose growing : where eyes with storms : used to live
Look soft, swing heavy : says mother : nature A saint :
ignores her : sets a forest on fire : licking the ash
Bio
Taylor Franson-Thiel is a Pushcart nominated poet from Utah, now based in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her Master's in creative writing from Utah State University and is pursuing an MFA at George Mason University. Her writing frequently centers on the intersections between the female body, religion, and her experiences as a college athlete. You can find her work in places such as Psaltery and Lyre, Quarter Press, The Bangalore Review. Along with writing, she enjoys lifting heavy weights and reading fantastic books.