s o

By L. S. KLATT

my mother died, & I
was moth, my body
alert with warning
coloration. Instar,
I cut myself
out & started
again. I couldn’t
possibly have been
Atlas, colossal,
camouflaging
in plain sight. I was
different in the tree
of heaven. I imagined
wings & there were wings,
a long tail & a tail
appeared. What, friend, was
the algorithm
for myth? Why were
chromosomes telling me
death is
truth? I remember
when as a moth I dreamed
beautifully. King
of Kings, Lord of Lords
I woke without
a mouth.

 

L.S. Klatt has published four collections of poetry, most recently The Wilderness After Which. New poems of his have appeared or will appear in Northwest Review, Image, DIAGRAM, 32 Poems, The Southern Review, The Florida Review, and Copper Nickel.

[Purchase Issue 27 here.]

From the beginning, The Common has brought you transportive writing and exciting new voices. We are committed to supporting writers and maintaining free, unrestricted access to our website, but we can’t do it without you. Become an integral part of our global community of readers and writers by donating today. No amount is too small. Thank you!

s o

Related Posts

Headshot of Jill Pearlman

January 2026 Poetry Feature #1: U-topias

JILL PEARLMAN
One of us sleeping, one of us dreaming with open eyes / strands of your hair in the silver light / when I rubbed the hair in the small of your back, / you awoke to a dog’s sharp nails / You told me it wouldn’t have ended well / in the old country. // You smashing public windows, drunken brawls / in the metro

top 10 pieces 2025

The Most-Read Pieces of 2025

Browse a list of the ten most-read new pieces of 2025 to get a taste of what left an impact on readers. 2025 was a momentous year for The Common: our fifteenth anniversary, our 30th issue, even a major motion picture based on a story in the magazine.