Maria Matsakis

NOT WAVING BUT DROWNING

There is a tale about a boy who fell from the sky. 
He knew better,
He flew too close, 
He loved the sun too dearly to be fearful of its heat. 

There is a tale about a boy who fell from the sky.
His father saw too late, 
His father was helpless, 
His father forgot how to live as he watched his son die. 

There is a tale about a boy who fell from the sky. 
A farmer watched as he fell, 
A farmer heard the peals of laughter- or maybe it was a shriek of fear, 
A farmer saw the hand of the boy above water and thought he was waving hello-
or maybe it was goodbye.

 m&m's

my brother and I are laughter at a funeral. 
we are the words whispered under breaths 
that lead to guilty giggles 
between the blowing of booger filled noses into handkerchiefs. 

we are heat thunder, 
loud and echoing, 
making people wonder when the rain will fall. 

my brother and I are tears of anger. 
we are infuriating and impossible to stop, 
hot and heavy as we pour down 
the faces of people we encounter. 

we are fish out of water,
struggling to breathe, 
making a spectacle of our pain for passersby to pity. 

About Maria Matsakis

Maria is a first year, graduate teaching assistant in English Literature at UND. Originally from New Jersey, Maria received her undergraduate education at West Liberty University in West Virginia, and plans to pursue her PhD after completing her Master’s degree. As the oldest of six children, Maria puts a lot of feeling and connections to her family life within her poems. She appreciates the opportunity to show off some of her work, and looks forward to the next submission.