Mining the Gap
Shyla Shehan
There is silence
between us
and I have failed
so far
to find a word
that you and I could agree on.
I am a landlocked lava rock
and you are open water.
I am a blooming flower
and you are a stalactite.
I am a Bluetooth keyboard
and you are a ream of paper.
We are juxtaposed and oblique—
trying to navigate
a sea of deaf space
between us.
I am traveling dictionaries
to get to you,
and I’m not giving up.
About the Author
Shyla is an analytical virgo who was raised in Iowa and has spent the majority of her life in the Midwest. She currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband and children and spends most days tending to a healthy household and working as an engineer for a Healthcare IT company. She will earn an MFA in Writing from the University of Nebraska in 2020 where she received an American Academy of Poets Prize. Shyla is a mom to two amazing humans and three wily cats. She enjoys gardening, road trips, and hunting for the perfect cheeseburger. More about Shyla can be found at shylashehan.com.