T O BE A ROSE EMILY

YUNDA -RAIJER

i used to wish they knew what a delicate rose i was. and how it felt when they for got to water my roots, display my petals, and share my existence . i used to wish my smooth, Vibr ant, subtle petals, had meaning in their eyes. and that they would have focused on that, not my thor ns. but they never did. they let me tur n brown and fr agile at a single touch. they let my stem grow weak, and used.

they let my petals close up they let me fall piece by piece to the ground i fell. but as i slowly drop and emer ge into the gr ass, and my eyes dr ift into a sleep and i thank them for letting my hear t

Moon

ALEX YUNDA -RAIJER

When I arr ived there , the cold and old smell of air greeted me It’s freshness, clean enough to save a planet. It caresses my face , searching makings of an industr ialized countr y. Behind that, mounds of grey peak at me , through the still, silent air Elsewhere , the makings of a footpr int embed itself into my mind. A perfect still, in me forever, never able to not impor tant enough to view.

Inspired by “A Wor ld Without Wor k” by Derek Thompson