At the Door

This story is not what it seems. This story
is less about men glistening in darkness
than a winter followed by another
winter. To be in the snow
is to know the hunger
for bitter fruit, the burn
of bourbon going down.
When Lot went outside his house
he was searching for meaning,
for something that dazzled.
A satchel of sharp arrows.
Night thick with interconnected stars.

Author of the article

Natalie Marino is a poet and practicing physician. Her work appears in Hayden’s Ferry Review, Little Patuxent Review, Pleiades, Salt Hill, wildness and elsewhere. She is the author of the chapbook End of Revels (Bottlecap Press, 2023). She lives in California. You can find her online at nataliemarino.com or on Instagram @natalie_marino.