Poetry, Dallas Knox
we're born in an instant
from imagination to sterilization
gasping for breath in frigid air
when was the last time you felt alive
can you hear my hurt thumping
pulsing unafraid
bleeding blue
like good hearts do
before they learn
what lies in the shadows
is not a creature
green and scaly
not a ghost with glowing red eyes
but a piece of themselves
they left a long time ago
sitting on the edge
on a windowsill of a window which never opens
collecting dust
collecting dreams
collecting despair
have some empathy will you
he hasn't been warm
since he was ousted from that cavern
thrown into unrelenting arms
who squeeze and squeeze and squeeze
and he thinks he's going to pop
he know he's going to die
can't you do anything about it
say a few comforting words
disguise a poem as a eulogy
choke down your tears
and swallow the sobs
that claw at your throat
like a bug bite
begging to be felt
in a world so numb
don't they deserve a life too?
Dallas Knox is a 3rd year at the University of Chicago studying religion, gender, and sexuality. Dallas is an unabashed lover of their home state of Tennessee, Toni Morrison, tea, and their girlfriend.