Mackenzie Proukou
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At the edge of the pit, I watch the flames rise and face that my fire is burning those who come too near. A pain-turned-itch distracts me from such terrible truth. Rubbing my ankle, I am at an odd peace.
At least the skeeters still want me...
My flesh still in the teeth of He who bites, I watch Him wither with its weight, die beside the flames, my blood still dripping from His mouth.
Mackenzie Proukou (She/her) is an undergraduate at the University of Richmond studying Creative Writing and Leadership Studies. She is the winner of the 2024 Academy of American Poets University Prize for her poem “Confession.” Her work also appears in the Spring 2024 edition of The Messenger, the University of Richmond’s Literary and Visual Arts Magazine.