Michelle Ortega
Brunch at Sadelle's
SoHo, NYC, for Tuula
Citrus and dill bloom over our table. She slides her fork through a slice of salmon that drapes over the plate, holds it up to the light and muses: The knife that cut this must be very sharp.
She remembers the holiday gravlax and his faded appetite, the tumors that grew as chemo poisoned his flesh. The salmon, like vellum, her smile—too thin. First thing the next morning, she texts: I'm still thinking about that knife.
Bio
Michelle Ortega's writing has appeared in numerous publications, online and in print, including Tweetspeak Poetry, Casual (an e-book), Tiferet Journal, Exit 13, Shrew LitMag, Contemporary Haibun Online, Snapdragon: A Journal of Healing and Platform Review, among others. Her first chapbook, Don't Ask Why, was released in August 2020 (Seven Kitchens Press) and her microchapbook, Tissue Memory, is forthcoming with Porkbelly Press (2021).