Kristina Marie Darling
& Max Avi Kaplan

MOTHER'S CHILDREN DON'T COME WHEN SHE CALLS Your new wife licks salt off the rim of a bright yellow drink. Who gets the little house in the suburbs if a marriage dissolves? When we first met, on a silver beach at the end of summer, it was easy to build a life together: dishes rimmed with green flowers, matching spoons, and dark red napkins. But now you're asleep on the sofa, wearing the shirt she bought for you at some Memorial Day sale. If I close my eyes, I can see you all pale blue in another woman's tirelessly scrubbed kitchen. I've unfastened the clasp on my sandals, now I'm here to stay. Darling, the new Adelle will iron your pants for work. The man I remember wouldn't notice the smell of starch, or the tiny burns along her perfect white wrist.

Kristina Marie Darling is the author of sixteen books, which include Melancholia (An Essay) (Ravenna Press, 2012), Petrarchan (BlazeVOX Books, 2013), and a forthcoming hybrid genre collection called Fortress (Sundress Publications, 2014). Her awards include fellowships from Yaddo, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, and the Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers, as well as grants from the Kittredge Fund and the Elizabeth George Foundation. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Poetics at S.U.N.Y.-Buffalo. Max Avi Kaplan is a visual artist and scholar who works with photography and costuming. He holds a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Individualized Study with a concentration in Material Culture Studies and Costume History from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. In 2013, Max received a Master's degree in Visual Culture: Costume Studies from New York University's Steinhardt School of Education. His work is featured in private collections as well as numerous publications including NYLON Magazine. He has received fellowships and grants from arts foundations, including the Bronfman Center and, more recently, the Vermont Studio Center. Visit him online at http://www.maxavi.com/