“Even My Dreams Have Subtitles” by Ashley Wu

Loneliness renders me capable of everything.
I alphabetize my bones,
color code a wide expanse of breath,
learn to stack my teeth neatly:
nickels for canines, dimes for wisdom

I get to know you through the essence of myself
a city hand-sifted from ashes
Maybe there is a life in the things you’ve touched
maybe there is a bit of blood, a tear, sweat
a human fossil record with an expiration date

My footprints canvassed the greater metropolitan area that night
I dig through the debris looking for mummified comfort.
I watched purple swallow buildings whole,
stole beer from empty hotel lobbies,
asked the wind for your name.

But most importantly, I learnt about you,
your carnivorous staircase of a mind,
your hotel suite of a body,
flesh permeated by gold,
your soul of ivory and brass.

And in my cocoon of loneliness
I am irrepressibly blooming, a lotus,
petals spiraling uncontrollably towards
an unfeeling cinderblock sky.
And bit by bit, I emerge, changed.

Ashley is a first-year staffer on Stillpoint. Her skills include eating ungodly amounts of food, being a little shit, and disappointing her mom. She is probably majoring in journalism or film.