The Absurdity of Origins | Danielle Nicole Byington

Danielle Nicole Byington's work is published or forthcoming in journals such as NORTH DAKOTA QUARTERLY, STILL: THE JOURNAL, THE CAPE ROCK, and COLD MOUNTAIN REVIEW. She completed her English-MA at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in spring 2017, and, during said time, served as editor for the 2017 volume of the university's literary/arts magazine, THE MOCKINGBIRD. Along with her ardor for poetry, Byington is also enamored with painting, especially representing scenes and characters from literature. She teaches English at various colleges, having been voted by students in 2018 as one of the "Most Inspirational" faculty/staff members at ETSU. Byington enjoys life with her Shakespearean better half and three ridiculous cats.     ConceptionA name becomes necessary.Gum stringing from a stepping shoe,A kite blindly traveling on its leash—The bud of consciousness transcends mitosis, Adhering to its nursery of conception,Its vertebrae no longer required to Climb out of the sea.It poses i