NEW ENGLAND

The petro-
chemical
shape of
a flame
pretends to
lick life.
Parody
of refine-
ment spread
throughout
the house.
Leaking
acid but not
fire. Leaking
light but
not warmth.
O plastic
candle stick
I will not
assist you.
Cabled to
the wall like
a melted wish.

MOUSE PAD

Mouse pad in repose.
Mouse pad in the late style.
Mouse pad descending staircase.
Mouse pad in the mist.

ROCK FACT

Would it work
to hide my key
inside this terrible
poem? Does this
look like a rock
to you?

Kelly Clare is an artist and writer based in Western Massachusetts. Clare is the author of three poetry chapbooks: UNIVERSAL PRODUCT CODE (Tabloid, 2026), demonstration forest (Community Mausoleum, 2025), and NEARLY EARLY ARTLY NEVER (Greying Ghost, 2024). Their poems have appeared in FENCE, Second Factory, Prelude, and mercury firs. Clare is an editor at Ghost Proposal, a press focused on work that transcends traditional notions of genre.