Purgative Scream, by ​Christopher Forrest

The Scream, by Edvard Munch (Norway). 1893.

Purgative Scream​

I will not see the setting sun
the bloody sky
the lapping tongues
of fire on the fjord
the scream passing through it all

instead I see a son’s relief
his lapping whimpers
and moaning tongue
no longer rationed in uncertainty

I crack the door and step
into the flux, his arms
raise, the mouth gapes to scream
and all his rations concentrate to purge
the comforts of the lonely
and afraid

​Christopher Forrest

Christopher Forrest lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with his wife and two young sons. He earned his MFA from Queens University of Charlotte and currently serves on the editorial staff of Press 53 and Prime Number Magazine. In his free time he enjoys being outside with his family and southern interpretations of poutine.