new poets corner – Page 7

i rolled a five
on the night sky

the heavens say we’re tied
i’m tired
of playing with dice

who knows where we’ll land

tomorrow.

a storm just rolled in // a.s.m

by your side
i dream of other skies
other times
even other cities

in two-car gridlock
bittersweet stalemate
no moves to make but
everything at stake

i dream of breaking the
glass and bleeding
and healing.

gridlock // a.s.m

i lost my mind
somewhere between June
and July
when it all turned to sand
and i could no longer make sense
of cities and skies.

Vaults and pianos // a.s.m

in the darkest night, she shines.
in the heat of the drought, she thrives.
in the deepest of floods, she survives.
if her roots can grow through the cracks
of the concrete, so can mine.

breaking ground // a.s.m

please don’t love me.
nobody knows better
than i,
it will be a waste of time.
i’d love your eyes more than
any eyes in my life,
i’d lose myself in them
for weeks at a time and
wake up hungover in
strange places.

well eyes // a.s.m

i never wanted
to need you,
but i closed my eyes and
unclenched my heart
and now, when you’re gone,
sometimes
i’m lost.

you have become a refuge.
you lead me
with open palms and
bare soles
to the patch of
sun on the asphalt
while the earth crumbles
around me. you sit cross-legged
and teach me how to smile again
when the muscles in my face
forget.

you kiss me, with lips
like warm blankets, and
i am secure
amidst the chaos.

you engulf me like
the sea, and
i am drowning in
your serenity.

i never thought drowning could be so peaceful // a.s.m

when i hide the world
underneath closed lids,
i dream of you.

the voices in my mind sing
nothing but your music, and
my heart is sore from constantly
reaching for you.

every step i take is in hopes that
soon i will walk on
your soil. until then,
my hands must learn to be
content only
to write about you.

Yerevan // a.s.m

how selfish am I
to live this life,
to see through these eyes,
to want to die?

how selfish am I
to laugh with ease
to seek joy when
there is suffering?

how selfish am I
to strive to calm
the storm inside?
is it selfish
to survive?

survivor’s guilt // a.s.m

for you, i will
be what i am afraid to be.
you bring out the most
passionate parts of me.
for you i’ve dug deeper
into myself than i have
for anyone else. i’ve given you
the center of my being,
the tissues of my soul.
for you i am not afraid
to be raw.
with you, i want to be an animal.
i want my lips to touch flesh.

incisors // a.s.m

a night alone
with you.
bright star, pale beauty
around which all life in me
revolves.
let all eyes be witness
to your light
in my darkest
hours.

luna // a.s.m