"laughed at by the gods" by Aaliyah Anderson

yes, i’m the heat of a promise of snow.

my friends think i’m a Vegetarian, so i lie

and say i am. if only i could have black sunglasses,

cross my knees and stare into a horrifying use of contrast

(white jackets mean a blizzard for sure). i don’t even drink hot,

so what difference will it make? still, i keep putting off roasting some

heavy meat, watching air run off—an inverse

precipitation. pick me, the slight jostle of a woman getting shit done.

my nose is running, but—validation for validation! eating

gummies is the closest i can get to ham: touch my neck please. i’m not needy!

i’m a Vegetarian; i’ve got something for patience.

Aaliyah Anderson (she/her) is a junior majoring in Literary Arts at her high school in Petersburg, VA. She's obsessed with storytelling.