Jessica Casey

A Continuum

Feet stemmed, firm
on the ground—
toes extend towards Hades.
Dendrites
of particles and matter,
sustenance
in an undead world.

The base stands
with composure.
She does not flinch
as two lovers
take a knife
to the cracked flesh,
carved symbols
meld together
under the expanding body.

Even her arms
remain in remarkable
shape for her age—
never flinching under
the weight of
countless climbing
bodies, hoping
to touch the clouds.

Everything remains
constant.
The only change
is hair falling off
when the days
grow short and
the nights grow long.

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Something About Me: Jessica Casey

I am haunted by destruction. When I think I’ve escaped, it pulls me right back in, consumes my thoughts, plagues my writing. Really, it is destruction in all forms. Self-destruction, the destruction of others, any type. I have never been one to write uplifting prose or poetry, so I stick to my calling.
I write about the darker depths of human emotions and actions: what it would be like to take a life, being on a week-long bender, losing yourself in the oblivion of pills and drugs. I write in rhythmic free verse, with ideas constantly bouncing in my head. I’ll have dozens of ideas just floating, waiting for me to pick one and just write. When I write, it is like I blackout. I start out with a solid idea and a direction, but after a while, I forget what I’m writing about and I’m left with something that doesn’t always make sense, but somehow fits perfectly.
All great stories and poems start out as something different, but they will always take me in the right direction. My job is to write what it wants me to and let the story tell itself. I use images in a more narrative way, with some fragmentation. My writing is all over the board. I try not to stick to a specific style, but explore all my options and pick what is best for the poem. My poetry may have similar themes, but it is never the same.