I clench my jaw
And performatively lift
The ends of my lips
I have them now
14 desperate eyeballs waiting
For this moment
I am the star, suspended
In a web of my own making
Amidst the stench of cafeteria broccoli and
A jungle of multi-colored chirping birds
Their eyes are flies
Caught in my web
Of tenuous laughter
I swallow their approval like flies
Gulping each down
Until they dance in my belly
I have become
What they wanted
And erased me
Alison Hwang is an avid creative writer from California. Her work has been recognized by Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Skipping Stones, Rising Phoenix Review, and more. She is also an artist who illustrated part of “Weston Finds Wonder,” a children’s book with the Clinton Foundation. When given the gift of time, Alison loves secretly dancing her heart out in her bathroom, trying to find the things she lost, and reviewing local restaurants.