Some things arrive without asking:
the tilt of a jaw,
the way silence settles in the chest.
I carry my family in my body –
every apology that went unspoken,
every night that taught us
how to swallow silence.
Some things arrive without asking:
the tilt of a jaw,
the way silence settles in the chest.
This is how we are passed down:
not in stories, but in what we learn
to endure.
May Garner is an author and poet residing in rural Ohio. She has been writing for nearly fifteen years and has been sharing her writing online for over a decade. She is the author of two poetry collections, Withered Rising (2023) and Melancholic Muse (2025). Find her work on Instagram (@crimson.hands).