Crisis

SHELLY RODRIGUE

water insecurity is the term 
for this type of trauma 

for flash drought and salt 
intrusion at the Mississippi’s mouth

for three quarters of treated 
water lost to leaks or theft 

for lead poisoned pipes unknown
or assumed in most New Orleans homes

for boil advisories more frequent 
and reliable than people’s paychecks 

my therapist wants to help me
through the crisis 

as she sips water from a faucet
she has never had to doubt 

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SHELLY RODRIGUE is a queer poet from the outskirts of New Orleans, LA but who now resides in Nashua, NH. She obtained an MFA from the University of New Orleans. Her poems appear in a variety of journals and anthologies, most recently including Touchstone (forthcoming November 2025), Verseve’s Stars Anthology, Silver Birch Press, River and South Review, and Hedge Apple Magazine. When she is not writing, she teaches college English.