Nadine Klassen

Nadine Klassen (she/her) is a German poet, whose work focuses on mental health, trauma, identity and relationships. It has been published in Anti-Heroin Chic, Olney, Sky Island Journal and others. She lives in her hometown with her boyfriend and their dog.

“On Birds,” “Tristan” and “My Loneliness as Kafka’s Diaries”

Papa nearly kills a pigeon
with a rock.
That means, your own name
can be used
against you
& that is the way a mother can carry hope
without its burden. Then,
grandma’s fingers
pinch
my flawless cheeks like salt. She drafts
a boat

Issue 53, September 2021

Nadine Klassen

Nadine Klassen (she/her) is a German poet, whose work focuses on mental health, trauma, identity and relationships. It has been published in Anti-Heroin Chic, Olney, Sky Island Journal and others. She lives in her hometown with her boyfriend and their dog.

“On Birds,” “Tristan” and “My Loneliness as Kafka’s Diaries”

Papa nearly kills a pigeon
with a rock.
That means, your own name
can be used
against you
& that is the way a mother can carry hope
without its burden. Then,
grandma’s fingers
pinch
my flawless cheeks like salt. She drafts
a boat

Issue 53, September 2021

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