Betty Stump’s death notice
comes in an email

insipid corporate logo at the bottom
generic in the sense that it contains
a rib cage of facts—

her date of death
years of service at the newspaper
a perfunctory mention of her family

there are a few replies
sympathies and sad face emojis
the woman who works next to me

leans out around her monitor
whispers, Who is Betty Stump?
I shrug, a pinch of guilt caught

between my shoulder blades
my salon-gel nails still clacking
against the keyboard

---

Arvilla Fee lives in Dayton, Ohio, teaches English for Clark State College and is the lead poetry editor for October Hill Magazine. She has published poetry, photography, and short stories in over 100 magazines, including North of Oxford, Rat’s Ass Review, Mudlark, and many others. Her poetry books, The Human Side, This is Life, and Mosaic: A Million Little Pieces are available on Amazon. Arvilla loves writing, photography and traveling, and never leaves home without a snack and water (just in case of an apocalypse). To learn more, visit her website and check out her new poetry magazine: https://soulpoetry7.com/