"the state of being unaware or unconscious" & "lemon (haiku)" by Charlotte Amelia Poe

the state of being unaware or unconscious

a lie i told in between truths

okay, but i want you to rip me apart

did my heartbeat stutter -

did my breathing catch -

tell me tell me tell me

am i lying to you now -

or now?

(what is the ending of things, if nothing truly ends, what are we doing, are we looping, are we looping back on ourselves, how many times have i said the same thing twice and not even realised? if i tip over into the void will you grab my hand and pull me backwards or will you let me fall? sometimes i dream that i've woken up and you were never really gone. oh! void void void void void. endless beauty in the gore of the stars imploding and i want to live forever in the blink of a firefly and did you know that i am here and you are here and that should be enough, but it isn't?)

soft, now -

breathe, stuttered lungs -

oblivion -

delicate in the palm of a hand,

you,

oh, but of course

lemon (haiku)

i’m citrus, sour mouth -

you are like the moon on skin

glowing, like snowfall.

Charlotte Amelia Poe (they/them) is an autistic nonbinary author from England. Their first book, How To Be Autistic, was published in 2019. Their debut novel, The Language Of Dead Flowers, was published in September 2022. Their second novel, Ghost Towns, was self published in 2023. Their second memoir, (currently untitled), will be published in 2024. Their poetry has been published internationally.