she will arrive with Viy
& hold you down in bed

her frigid hands
will stall your breath
     paralyze your body
     laugh as the souls of women who never married
leave her body & gather in a circle around you

& Viy will raise his eyelids
              hold your gaze
              reveal the secrets you never wanted others to know
as you scream
         scream
         scream

the neighbors will call the police
saying your dog is barking & whining uncontrollably
but you do not own a dog
& the police will arrive
                  will see strange light flashes from the bedroom window
like an indoor electrical storm
                                         one deputy will claim
a chill will settle on his doughy cheeks
                                                 & as i walk by i will touch
                                                                       the red amulet circling my wrist
                                                           & whisper in my native tongue
        it’s as though mara is here…

About the Author:

Nicole Yurcaba (Нікола Юрцаба) is a Ukrainian American of Hutsul/Lemko origin. Her poems and reviews have appeared in Appalachian Heritage, Atlanta Review, Seneca Review, New Eastern Europe, and Ukraine’s Euromaidan Press, Lit Gazeta, Chytomo, Bukvoid, and The New Voice of Ukraine. Nicole holds an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University, teaches poetry workshops for Southern New Hampshire University, and is the Humanities Coordinator at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College. She also serves as a guest book reviewer for Sage Cigarettes, Tupelo Quarterly, Colorado Review, and Southern Review of Books.