the gap between her thighs delicate
like the space a wolf spider’s ground
web claims between strands laced
across fallen willow oak leaves fragile
like the body of dewdrops caught
in web’s threads before sun breaks
their form open the actual touch
of her calves a union holy meeting
of two palms held together in prayer
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 22, Issue 3.
Katie Richards is an MFA candidate at George Mason University. She is the recipient of the 2016 Mark Craver Poetry Award and the 2020 Mary Roberts Rinehart Poetry Award. Her poetry has previously appeared in the South Dakota Review and Tipton Poetry Journal and is forthcoming in the North Dakota Quarterly. She currently lives in the DC metro area with her husband and children.See all items about Katie Richards