Next of Kin by Kristin Garth

From crumbling house, hole in the yard, corpse
collected, curated in jars. Owner
arrested, no explanation, remorse
will end upon a gallows, a loner,
in due course.  One remains to be dealt with,
taken away, adolescent in rags
too young to stay all alone in this filth,
her father’s crime scene. Her moth-bitten bag
inside a carriage pristine, relations 
will send for their burden to bear. Buy lime,
arsenic for lice in her hair.  Patience 
brunette wig, tendrils return overtime.
Bodily service for place to begin —
a small debt you pay to your next of kin.

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Kristin Garth is a Pushcart, Best of the Net & Rhysling nominated sonnet stalker. Her sonnets have stalked journals like Glass, Yes, Five:2:One, Luna Luna and more. She is the author of fifteen books of poetry including Crow Carriage, Shut Your Eyes, Succubi  (Maverick Duck Press), Candy Cigarette Womanchild Noir (The Hedgehog Poetry Press), Flutter: Southern Gothic Fever Dream (TwistiT Press) and The Meadow (APEP Publications).  She is the founder of Pink Plastic House a tiny journal and co-founder of Performance Anxiety, an online poetry reading series. Follow her on Twitter:  (@lolaandjolie) and her website kristingarth.com