Self Portrait as Roadkill

no howl no wind i’m waiting to be
filled by sound to feel briefly alive
i respect the sky its changes the breaking
dark a liminality i can hardly
comprehend sudden war-cry lyrics tender
& firm at once like a sigh of relief
tell me it doesn’t get easier on it’s own
& that’s the point at daybreak when
eternity is close & eyes are open wide
i realize judgment is obscured by
the desire for stability we all just hunger
to be intact with each other
togetherness is a security blanket illusion
ripped cruelly away like a bandaid
left behind mixed with blood in the shuffle
maybe that night i wasn’t running for my life
maybe i showed up in hopes of losing it
in the first place maybe that’s just the way it is
when i’m alone with my body for so long
it becomes more shadow than solid
i ran & ran & ran like i could learn to fly
on my way home shaking like a turbulent
aircraft never leaving the ground
i was a cascade of shallow breath & gravel
nocturne in the key of agony
the next day i woke up i did not exist

By Brianna Morris

Biography:

Brianna Morris is an aspiring poet whose work has been published or is forthcoming in Touchstone Literary Journal and Tongue Tied Mag. When not writing or sweating in the South Florida heat, she enjoys seeking out works of art that speak to her the way she hopes hers will speak to others someday.