Nicole Kornher-Stace is the author of the Norton Award finalist Archivist Wasp and its sequel, Latchkey. Her adult SF debut, Firebreak, was published by Saga in May 2021, and her middle grade SF debut, Jillian vs. Parasite Planet, will be released by Tachyon in July 2021. She lives in New Paltz, NY, with her family. She can be found online at nicolekornherstace.com or on Twitter @wirewalking.
(title credit to Larissa Lichty)
In a second I’m going to ask you to do something. Don’t worry, it’s not too weird. Ready? Picture...
1.
These gouges where glaciers furrowed toward the sea
were smooth-sloped still, ice-muscled, snowbound;
these waves, a salt-waste...
Well, it ain't like the shotgun isn't loaded,
like he gets the shakes to aim, like he couldn't
plug a flying nickel at four dozen...
