Two Poems by Christine Salek

Microorganisms

bathed in an array of stars

twinkling gas warming my body

as if I too am a constellation

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Ranch

If ranch dressing were a place,

it would be the opposite of a place—

it wouldn’t be a farm, or a ranch even,

but a warm home on a warm day,

when the heat outside is cleaner,

more forgiving than the sticky inside

where forever a cool breeze

is less artificial than air conditioning

Christine Salek is a writer, musician, and web developer in Wisconsin. They have a master's degree in library science, think a lot about the evolution of internet communication, and post sporadically at @cms.bsky.social.