Apr 8, 2023

Nocturnal by Eva Eliav

Nocturnal

our old dog’s become

nocturnal as a lion

at night I hear his nails

rattling

in the corridor

his harsh sniffs

suck our smells

through the bedroom door

curls of his fur

cling to the rug like snails

his muzzle’s a blizzard

maybe if he weren’t here

I could imagine

we’re still young

pretend

our child’s asleep

in the next room

that we will hear her laughter

in the morning

Eva Eliav studied English Literature at The University of Toronto and The University of Tel Aviv. Her poetry and flash fiction have appeared in numerous literary journals, including Room, Emrys Journal, Ilanot Review, Flashquake, The Apple Valley Review, Horizon Review, Luna Station Quarterly, Fairy Tale Magazine, Stand, Constellations, Minyan, One Art, Gyroscope Review, MacQueen’s Quinterly and Fictive Dream. She has published two poetry chapbooks: Eve (Red Bird Chapbooks, 2019) and One Summer Day (Kelsay Books, 2021). Her work has been nominated for the fifth annual Best Microfiction Anthology to be published in the summer of 2023 by Pelekinesis Press. She has also been nominated for a Pushcart.