previous part here: https://jordynsaelor.com/2025/09/18/out-the-door/
all parts: https://jordynsaelor.com/cant-catch-me-now/
***
Eyes
watched us from the sparse trees,
belonging to bodies
too still
to distinguish from the dappled shadows,
so I was grateful
to wear blankets
with spines
and magic mouths
as a shield
from whatever they were.
Birds
from home
sat on top of houses
but we didn’t have many trees there,
so did birds also like sitting on top of branches covered with annoying leaves?
Plus this was a totally different land,
so did they even have birds here?
But I still started thinking of the eyes as belonging to birds;
small, foul things
that smelled like potion fumes
and pecked at bare heads–
“Blankets,” I asked, “have you noticed the eyes in the trees?”
And the blanket under the others said no
same with the next
but the blanket on top said
yes–
and the blankets
might’ve been one creature
with three parts
or three creatures
who’d spent so long together
they’d basically become one
but since they were codependent demons,
I leaned toward the second option–
and I asked, “Do you know what those eyes belong to?”
And they said, “Nope, so we should be careful.”
So I rolled my eyes. Obviously,
blankets.
But I didn’t say that
and kept
walking.
***
find Ruinous Light at this link
find Graveyard of Lullabies at this link
Jordyn Saelor 