In Dust
after “The Lost Tribe” by Jehangir Sabavada
Finally, you will turn into a mountain. Now,
strong enough for erosion to be your fun. No pursing
your lips, no listening to the rumble of God—you’re holy
enough to quiet all competitors. At dusk, you play this staring
game with the Sun. You win each time. The intimacy shared
with each creature occurs under your gums; comfort is an open
resilience until, again, you see them come closer, until
you’re as big as their entire sky. It’s inevitable how they’ll
beg for a bigger silence.
strong enough for erosion to be your fun. No pursing
your lips, no listening to the rumble of God—you’re holy
enough to quiet all competitors. At dusk, you play this staring
game with the Sun. You win each time. The intimacy shared
with each creature occurs under your gums; comfort is an open
resilience until, again, you see them come closer, until
you’re as big as their entire sky. It’s inevitable how they’ll
beg for a bigger silence.
Aaliyah Anderson (she/her) is a junior majoring in Literary Arts at her high school in Petersburg, VA. Her work is forthcoming or appears in Paper Crane, miniMAG, coalitionworks, and elsewhere. Aaliyah is a General Editor at Renaissance Review. She’s obsessed with storytelling.
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