“sweet soft skin on green grass, i see calm clouds,” a recent poem by Palick began, clearly trying to get a lot of mileage out of using words that begin with the same letter. “i am a blue bird flying freely / my feathers are falling.”

“she is a steady stream, strong and swift / i let the cool current carry me, away and away,” the piece continued, once again banking on repeated sounds to provide some poetic oomf. “when will the wild wind love me? / the weather is warm / i weep under a willow tree.”

At press time, Palick was comparing herself to the sun.