by Angela M. Brommel

Depress the shackle,
and Spin
the numbers.

To the Code:
Depress the shackle and —
p   u   l   l.
Open.

To lock:
Depress the shackleandspin
to a random setting.

*

De-
press
the
shackle

to open the lock.

turn, turn, turn, turning tumblers

spin until you feel the heavy fall
ing into place

of settings, not so random
not so coded
until unshackled.

**

Mia always liked the nearly inaudible sound of the tumblers falling into place like tiny tectonic plates. A Pangea of rearranging land masses every time she spun the dial of the old safe. She imagined herds of small water buffalo running with the changing grooves. 6 times to the left, 4 times to the Right, 3 times to the Left, and then home with the setting of the sun.

Angela M. Brommel is a Nevada writer with Iowa roots. She holds an MA in Theatre from the University of Northern Iowa, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles. Her poetry has appeared in Vapid Kitten, Sweet: A Literary Confection, Now Culture and is forthcoming in The North American Review. She currently teaches Humanities and Women’s Studies at Nevada State College.