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ZACH MURPHY

The Garden

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The wildflowers wilt over their own feet as I trudge through the dusty, jaded soil. One of my legs 

is broken. My mouth is parched. And my stripes burn.  

 

I wonder if the workers before me dealt with this kind of heat. I wonder if the workers after me 

will suffer even more. I wonder if there will even be workers after me.  

 

The honey isn’t so sweet here anymore. The dream has melted away. This planet is no longer my 

garden.  

 

As I use my last shred of will to drive my stinger into the wrinkled ground, I pray that my final 

moments will be graced with a cool breeze.

zach murphy is a Hawaii-born writer with a background in cinema. His stories appear in Adelaide Literary Magazine, Mystery Tribune, Ghost City Review, Spelk Fiction, Door = Jar, Levitate, Yellow Medicine Review, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, Crêpe & Penn, Ellipsis Zine, Wilderness House Literary Review, Drunk Monkeys, and Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine. He lives with his wonderful wife Kelly in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Zach Murphy

deathcap is Coven Editions' online literary mag featuring a curated collection of poetry, fiction and community pieces.  Review our Submissions Guidelines for more information if you are interested in contributing to deathcap.

© 2020 Coven Editions

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