by Clint King
A spider was spinning a web in Self-Help, even after they sterilized the bookstore, leaving hardly a reader's fingerprint or dog ear folded down. She took my breath away; it was all the advice I ever needed to see this glorious climber lower and raise such a body over stacks of sob stories. I wondered: what spine did she smuggle herself in on, what chapters did she hide out between, before she snuck out to share this quiet corner with me? Far from cashiers checking their faces on phones, scrolling thumbs, as if life depended upon everything but a book's whisper or a gorgeous thread making its way in thin air. I secretly hoped she'd lasso her way over to Literature and make a peaceful home in the pages of Walden or tend to her strings in the dusty corners of Poetry, where hardly a soul visits, unless needing a verse for a wedding or a funeral.
9
by Shelbey Leco
Clint King, born in the Midwest, was selected as a finalist for the Emerging Writer Award by the Key West Literary Seminar and studied with Billy Collins at the Southampton Writers Conference. Clint lives in California, where he is at work on a collection of poems and a novel.
Growing up in Southeast Louisiana, outside of New Orleans, Shelbey was always inspired by nature. As a young adult, she studied at the University of New Orleans where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Urban Society with disciplines: education, english, and anthropology. She enjoys traveling, art, and exploring new places.
IG @Rainbowswampraven
Etsy: ShelbeyShells
Ignatian Literary Magazine 