dried fruit & unsalted nuts trail mix

by Qwyen Le

i hate almond butter, but i

constantly engrave visions in skin,

searching for blue diamonds in the sky

like my mother wanted so

leaning against tree bark when i’m out of breath

almost forgetting my own anatomy

never thought i’d want to reach the moon

molded like time, pores and uneven skin i could relate to

what a lethal sight, shifting work in progress

sometimes we hide between layers nobody cares for

almost like worms in bittersweet soil

yet as we trek across the face of the earth

we want our stories to be told, legacies to be made

restless, increasing where diffusion happened

every explorer creates a coffin of their own

slowly decaying and preserved in sweetness

humans are enthralled by fear, the cliffhangers,

the what’s next, but i fear i’m only screaming because i have to

concealing darker secrets in 60%, gnawing tight on my rope

walking across and unsteady bridge in the dark

i always wonder when the end will be

like if i find acid raindrops in my mouth

or sleep away in peace and comfort

if i’ll rot away in a jungle alive

or softly cremated into almost nothing

but almost a fraction of something

burnt into a second on the history