The Complexity of Detail, Olivia Offutt

this counts as artistry to the roadkill generation –

a few synonyms for sadness

stapled together with 

a metaphor that’s easy to digest

    &  some

              pretty

             line

                    spacing

the writers try to keep their hands clean

while they inspect the patch

of bloodied bird feathers

on the freeway

they’re taxidermists, sure,

but they’re still amateurs

& why

should they bother

to learn their own craft

when they can hold up the corpse,

hardly altered,

to an audience in awe of their work?

they pull out the teeth & then insist

that we

should still 

feel the full bite of it

About the Author

Ezra Creedo · Kutztown University

Ezra is an undergraduate student at Kutztown University. He is pursuing a degree in psychology with a minor in political science. His academic work has been published in Social Work & Christianity and presented at the Kutztown University Composition Conference. Ezra enjoys contemporary literature and spending time with his cat.

About the Artist

Olivia Offutt · George Mason University

This piece first appeared in Volition. For more of Olivia Offutt’s art, visit her Instagram @oliviaoffuttillustration.