by Linnea Lieth

Artwork by Liz Chiu

packing:

three pears, a small bag of pumpkin seeds.

a smooth, wood-handled pocketknife,

and two crystals, white and rose.

a pair of scissors, a length of ribbon,

leather slippers and a thick shawl.

a scuffed, stickered and stamped suitcase.

the old woman stepped into the bustling street

and locked her red door behind her.

when she returned in the evening,

thick ivy cradled the empty window boxes

and smothered the chimney.

her hair was glossy black, her skin smooth.

the suitcase sprung open, tumbling

one thousand white peonies over the name

carved into the marble-slab doorstep.