Thin Ice

From the Bluestockings Community ✦

Bluestockings is, above all, a space for voices, stories, and ideas worth sharing. This piece was submitted by a member of our community and selected for our blog because it made us think, feel, question, or see something differently. The words that follow belong to its author, and we’re honored to give them a space to be heard.

About the Author: Crystal Rains is a poet from Wisconsin whose work explores identity, relationships, memory, and the complexities of finding one’s voice. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Scarlet Review, The Raven Review, Literary Parthenon, and Local Gems Poetry Press anthologies. Her work often uses vivid imagery, symbolism, and personal narrative to examine love, loss, resilience, and the ties that bind us.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

Thin Ice

The pond beneath my feet 

is a solid pane of glass for now.

I see through to the murky water below.

Smoothest of waters.

My ankles wobble,

holding me up on these skates.

The rails harmonize with the ice

and also cut the surface.

Fragile,

could crack at any moment

from my overstepping,

the weight of my expectations,

or the heat of his constant anger.

My eyes focus on the ground.

To keep the peace

and to know if the foundation

is giving way.

---

Have a story of your own? ✦

Our first-ever Bluestockings magazine issue, A Thread Unraveled, is coming soon. Through poetry, prose, essays, photography, visual art, and everything in between, we’re exploring the threads that shape us: the people we meet, the stories we inherit, the paths we lose and find, and the experiences that transform us. Stay close. The first thread is about to unravel.