by @lrosepoetry (on Instagram)
The Pandemic
There is a film of fog over
each rooftop on my street, and
everyone’s eyes seem hollow.
Emotionless faces scream quietly
of disbelief, as if we are
suspended in midair— swimming
through honey.
But everyone has the same
twinkle of light burning tiny
holes in their chest. Everyone
has the same hope that in the
golden light of dawn they will
wake from what is nothing but
a dream.
The Magic Three
Uncertainty The world is testing my
faith. It paints the sky in shades of
smoked burgundy, and it spins clouds
of dusty rose. When I wake from
anxious sleep, I fear the laws of
gravity will abandon me. I fear the
ones who loved me yesterday won’t
wake alongside me.
Isolation I am told to suppress my
instincts. In a time of need, where I long
to grasp the body of a friend between
shaking hands, I leave myself alone. The
voice I hear on the phone doesn’t sound
like yours. It doesn’t fill up an empty
house like you could.
Lack of Control I cannot mold
life with my thumbs the way a
child can with clay. Instead time
slips between my hands, ignoring
whispers and pleas. My wishes
are lost to wind, along with fallen
leaves and shooting stars.
Riza Press 