Shrivel and Bloom | Emily Murman

Emily Murman is a poet & educator from Chicago. She holds an MFA in poetry from National University and graduated in June 2021. “SHRIVEL AND BLOOM” is her debut chapbook, & her chapbook “I want your emergency” is forthcoming via Selcouth Station Press in July 2021. She can be found on Twitter @emilymurman. _______________________________   Museum   I stood outside in the rain watching the others jump and sway  neon light catching on sweaty dresses   plastic cups    grins            my ghoulish reflection on glass the cling of my shirt to shrugged shoulders hung there I was the fish fading at the bottom of the bowl  grey scales     flaking             off for slides and wet specimens my body rounding, swelling in glassy pupils   the distorted float    the bloating