Rex
We're proud to feature this poem from Van G. Garrett’s chapbook Chinaberry Constellations: Odes, which was selected by Olatunde Osinaike as a finalist of The Headlight Review’s 2025 Poetry Chapbook Contest.
Big Mama’s house was two floors
of adventure:
A library of memories
A storehouse of stories
A patchwork of possibilities
Walls with hidden treasure
Creaking steps
A haunted attic
Photos and old records
In the summer
we swiped at the sun
laughed until our sides hurt
Brave as kids could be
Except for when we hard-sprinted
from a German Shepherd
with amber-colored eyes
named after a dinosaur