Tchaikovsky’s Symphony, the 2nd One

Lie down in a blue field. Long enough to
dissolve into the ground.

Imagine a red that isn’t blood. A bird that’s a bird.
A scenario in which everything is exactly
what it appears to be.

Katie said, “The future wants to kiss our mouths.
The future wants to kill us in our sleep.”
All things on earth equal parts
good and bad
depending on the intensity of the light or
how we’re tilting our heads.

I want my body to be forceful. I want
my body to be a crescendo,
meaning: heart as violins, gradually intensifying
forever and ever,
but in a way that doesn’t scare me.

Tell god, the devil, whoever, whoever:
I’m here. I have hands.
I’ll try not to hurt anyone with them.

By Hannah Gramson

Biography:

I am a 24 year old graduate student living in the Pacific Northwest, pursuing a degree that has nothing to do with writing.