Kathy Lohrum Cotton
Gene Pairs
Twilight purple swells
her face, her ribs,
burning sun turning midnight black.
Allele gene of victim,
dominant on her mother's side.
Staggering to the kitchen,
she chooses a blade,
long and sharp as her pain.
Killer instinct, dominant
on her father's side.
Bio
Kathy Lohrum Cotton of southern Illinois is the author of two chapbooks and the illustrated poetry collection, Deluxe Box of Crayons. Since retirement, Cotton has supported poets and poetry by serving as editor for nine anthologies and as a member of the Illinois State Poetry Society board of directors. She is a 2014 Pushcart nominee.