But What If No One’s Looking Out for Us? A Poetry Chapbook by Andrew Christoforakis

My mother says my full name—thirty-eight

letters and three men long—like a spell

to ward against broken mirrors. Stretches

my father's like her tongue is trying

it on for size, her father's like a thunderclap,

mine less like an apostle than whatever

trampled her garden, and lord, the venom we dab

on words more familiar than the clothes

we wear, like missiles we fire off and have

the nerve to ask for once we've finished.

I'm three at the foot of a broken vase.

She's listing names off like a prison sentence.

The long vowels, the staccato consonants.

Pauses thrice: once for each man she loved.

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But What If No One’s Looking Out for Us? is a Poetry Chapbook by Andrew Christoforakis, recipient of our 4th Poetry Chapbook Award.

This poetry chapbook explores themes of identity, memory, faith, and the human experience through a collection of evocative poems. Each piece delves into personal and collective narratives, combining rich imagery with introspective reflections.

Andrew is a poet based out of Naperville, IL. He has had work published in Blood Tree Literature, West Trade Review, B O D Y, The Write Launch, and several other online and printed journals.

Cover art: Carol Schoder