esther sadoff
I jot down my to do list
Like remember to cry.
Remember not to cry.
Remember that tears are rain
and the mouth is a lake.
Remember that water craves water.
I've opened my mouth to the sky
to receive the rain.
I've studied the water cycle,
dutiful girl that I was.
I've studied the movement of arrows
and wind—the upward lift of condensation,
how the clouds become rich with sustenance.
Often when I open my mouth
to the sky there is no rain,
but I still remember what it was like to be full.
Proof That We Were Here
If I had saved the plastic cup,
I would have cup upon cup upon cup–
each one capable of holding so much,
while my hands can hold so little.
Everything falls through my fingers,
only dampness left, like cheeks after tears.
I've thought so much of nothingness
that I regret leaving it, the cup that
could hold dirt and grow anything,
the cup that could bale a boat if it were sinking.
I know that each cup will outlast my empty hands.
Let me believe in the possibility of fullness–-
if I could, I’d keep each one as proof.
Esther Sadoff is a teacher and writer from Columbus, Ohio. She is the author of four chapbooks: Some Wild Woman (Finishing Line Press), Serendipity in France (Finishing Line Press), Dear Silence (Kelsay Books), and If I Hold my Breath (Bottlecap Press). She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Hole in the Head Review, and she is the winner of the Women of Ohio 2025 Poetry Award.