Semi Famous

I read a book by a semi-famous person
who blew up her life.

I didn’t know it was autobiographical until the end.

I followed the car crash, the aftermath
with a feeling I couldn’t quite name.

Sadness, perhaps, triest, triste, but she wasn’t trying,
La vie quotidienne wasn’t enough for her
and for that she wanted applause.

My hands stayed silent.

In her eyes this makes me depressingly square,
if she envisions me at all.

But mostly what I felt was hollow.

I cherish my nest.
Even during tough times when I throw twigs down to earth
I keep rebuilding it.

---

Heidi Slettedahl is a US-UK dual national who goes by a slightly
different name professionally. Her most unusual talent is her ability
to ride a unicycle. Mo(u)rning Rituals (Kelsay Books), her first
collection of poetry, was published in 2024.