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Brandon Sullivan reads "Lilac Cracks" during Poetry at the Podium in Spokane
Summary
Brandon Sullivan, a Spokane Valley resident, read an original poem titled "Lilac Cracks" during a "Poetry at the Podium" segment at a meeting in Spokane. The poem uses local images — a Safeway parking lot, a rusted Volkswagen, and the Spokane River — to explore memory and belonging.
Brandon Sullivan, a Spokane Valley resident, read an original poem titled "Lilac Cracks" during a "Poetry at the Podium" segment at a meeting in Spokane; the meeting date was not specified in the transcript.
Sullivan opened with a clear image of place and time: "In a Safeway parking lot at 11:37 p.m., I spy a car with no windshield," and developed scenes of neighborhood life — worn cars, shopping carts, and seasonal decorations — that he said reflected memories and identity in the Spokane area.
The poem moved through vivid, often contrasting images of the city: skeletal decorations in storefronts and yards, a rusted Volkswagen repurposed as a planter and "flowers sprouting from its depths," and what Sullivan called the river that "cuts through Spokane Center like a scar that only breathes water." He framed those images alongside personal reflection, saying, "I think of my life in this city, the myths bleeding beneath our feet, the skeletons in our skin."
Sullivan identified himself as a Spokane Valley resident at the start of his reading and closed by saying the city had helped him find healing. The reading concluded with Sullivan thanking the audience.
