You crush a firefly between fingers.
See? Still glows.
I know it does, I know.
I don’t look.
The clouds are suspended
around our faces.
My eyes water,
smoke induces my tears
I swear
I want to leave
this state of mind
To string necklace
from gum wrappers in your pockets,
Hold a hand while
we compose constellations
Because we never spot the real ones
Though I’ll never confess
I would rearrange the stars
until my fingers glow yellow
for your smile.
I want to know your whisper
from the wind’s,
Because still
they sound the same to me.
I want to know you.
But here we stand
words in my throat,
heart at my chest.
Morgan Almasy is a junior creative writing major at her high school. She has twice attended the creative writing summer camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Almasy has previously been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing awards and has been awarded Gold Keys, Silver Keys, and Honorable Mentions at the regional level. Almasy has previously been published in Moledro Magazine, Blue Marble Review, and Literary Orphans magazine. She hopes to pursue a double major in marketing and creative writing in college.