Null Hypothesis // Chaos Theory

In America, it’s ok to play God
in the woods. It’s true, my father

helped me pull the trigger.
We started small, like rabbits,

while our cross hairs itched toward
bigger game. Remind me again of that

summer, before we stumbled
upon green upon green upon

rot. How we plastered our arms
to our eyes. How, with these

small hands, an explosion.
How un-Cambrian, as

we trace muzzle to tail
for fun. Count constellations

in flesh wound. Trade zodiac
signs for numbers – 32 gone

& it’s only June. Remind me
again of what comes next –

my memory is hazy. Shadow,
with no clean exit. Who is that

loading Life Magazine cartridges
for fun? Nature hands us a large

lemonade and no answers and
that’s it. Love it or leave it.

There are two ways out
– by bullet or by mouth –

and you & I both know
which to prefer. Us millennials,

we know a cold case by heart.

By Julia Zhou

Biography:

Julia Zhou is a high school senior from Herndon, Virginia. Her writing has been recognized by the Poetry Society of the UK and the National YoungArts Foundation; they can be found in Antithesis Journal, Blue Marble Review, and Typishly, among others. Find her napping with a Campbell’s textbook cradled in arm, playing quizbowl, or staring at the moon.