i don’t know if you have ever started growing
away from yourself.
a ribbed shuck peeled down,
inch by inch, from the gold. shadows on the dirt:
helen of troy folds laundry in a dim room
Maria Zoccola
Maria Zoccola is the author of Helen of Troy, 1993 (Scribner 2025). She has writing degrees from Emory University and Falmouth University. Her work has previously appeared in Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, the Iowa Review, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere. She lives in Memphis.