Excerpts from my 2019 Chapbook Challenge

NaNoWriMo for Rebel Poets, thanks to Juliette van der Molen

Image created by Rachel B. Baxter

My self splinters off like the branches of a tree,
forever joined but growing farther and farther apart.

Image created by Rachel B. Baxter

In time they will form their own associations with autumn —
the smell of raked leaves and acorns,
the crackle of the twigs in the leaf pile.

Image created by Rachel B. Baxter

The mom in me wants to give you a hot cocoa and a hug.
The sister in me wants to pat you on the back and say you got this.
The daughter in me quietly empathizes.
The woman in me doesn’t know what to do without a role to fill.