and soon I am praying for every shape I see in the dark. I pray for the monster; my tongue traces the shadow of his form. I pray for the parts of myself I cannot see: the back of my neck, a face I’ll only ever view in my reflection. I pray for that girl on the other side; she always looks like she’s about to be abandoned. I pray for the sanded surface of our fear, smooth oil onto its palms. I pray for this shape I cannot see, even after night has crept away. I pray for that nameless monster swept in entrails across the road, both our lips moving in supplication. I pray for my own body as it unguts itself, my own bones as they snap. I pray for the darkness to give us a shape.
for every dead animal I see when I’m driving, I say a prayer
Mara Davis Price
Mara Davis Price is a North Carolinian writer of poetry and short fiction. Since earning their MFA in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte in 2021, they have been published in Soft Star Magazine issues 2 and 5, Ponder Review, Beaver Magazine, and Carolina Muse. In their spare time, Mara enjoys reading, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, shopping for plus size secondhand clothing, and making collages. They currently live in Sanford, NC with their husband, musician Christian Rettig, and their cats Frankie and Fern.