10/05/2026
Abby E Murray here, and I just want to say, I don’t remember the last time I accepted two poems so quickly after reading them. Panika M.C. Dillon’s “make way for the apostles—the sad little centers of the universe” and “exit through the front teeth” are sharp and dark, with an ancient truth that’s as familiar as the poems themselves are surprising. They pull a thread from Collateral’s mission and run with it, handling the ongoing impact of conflict in new ways. I loved them at first read. Do your Monday a favor and read them today. I’ll put the link in our bio.
“‘make way for the apostles—the sad little centers of the universe’ was inspired by the tarot card ‘The World’ which is depicted as a woman with red ribbons. While it has gone through many revisions including a concrete poem and a play before settling into its current form, it was always a conversation between the world as a woman and those who seek to control or obliterate her. About ‘exit through the front teeth’: I strongly recommend everyone read the UNHRC’s February 2024 report.” —Panika M. C. Dillon
Panika M. C. Dillon’s upcoming publications include Prairie Schooner, One Page Poetry, Casting Aspersions and others. She won the 2024 Bedford Competition for Poetry and placed second for the 2024 Vivian Shipley Poetry Prize. She received her MFA in creative-writing poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. She is a legislative reporter at the Texas Capitol, major medical foster for Austin Pets Alive!, and volunteer staff crew leader at the Kerrville Folk Festival.
[image credit: “Cybele, Goddess of Civilization” (1889) from the Goddesses of the Greeks and Romans series (N188) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. Available to view online through the MET. Design by B.A. Van Sise.]
