Pluto Line – Leah D Mueller

Two miles west 

on Highway 80,

buried in the epicenter

of concrete and tar.

I cross the line twice 

each day: steep ascent, 

followed by gradual 

lowering of body 

into pit. Copper stairs 

lead down and down, 

like Inca paths.

I crane my neck, 

but still can’t see the bottom.

Tourists snap photos

of themselves, long teeth 

bared for the lens.

Parked minivans perch 

watchful beside the abyss,

like greedy raptors.

Even the bushes

want my flesh,

and they will get it,

sooner or later.

Some part will always

be exposed, no matter

how many layers I wear.

Leah Mueller lives in Bisbee, Arizona. She is the author of ten prose and poetry books. Her new book, "The Destruction of Angels" (Anxiety Press) was published in October 2022. Leah's work appears in Rattle, NonBinary Review, Citron Review, The Spectacle, Miracle Monocle, New Flash Fiction Review, Atticus Review, Your Impossible Voice, etc. She is a 2023 nominee for both Pushcart and Best of the Net. Her flash piece, "Land of Eternal Thirst" appears in the 2022 edition of Best Small Fictions. Website: www.leahmueller.org.