neighbourhood

i have walked these streets so long
reality filtered into pixels. 
sometimes i wish the world were a carousel,
lagging behind the changes
trying to hold onto its unblemished beauty
we want to preserve its soul
to watch old streets transform into new dreams
we want to be a part of this city

Garden

this is undignified,
this sprawl, this teetering stack,
these beautiful flowers are creased,
the windows are blocked,
the laundry is clean, i swear. i am clean, i swear.
just tired, just waiting.
i am a pile of me’s and it’s getting mixed up
and a little wrinkly
and if this goes on much longer
none of the me’s will pair with the good jeans
and then who will clean the garden?

and frankly i’ve been nauseous all summer.
maybe it was a premonition, some light foreshadowing,
i was dry heaving my way to now,
a threat building, like morning sickness,
only i’m giving birth to a real monster of a crisis,
one i certainly did not want.

it’s much easier to use my laundry as a metaphor,
because i cannot pick up my selves and fold them into a poem.
but i should put the pile away and dry them outside,
shouldn’t i?

Our Car is Totalled

There are no rental cars available.
The closest hotel is a 30 minute drive from
This exit.

                              i want to go home.
if we take this exit, we’ll be home in
like 20 minutes. is that okay?
                              my head presses against
        the forest green pillow.

We get out of the car.
Shorts.
I have shorts on.
     mom, i’m cold.

She hands me sweatpants.
Blood drips down her nose.

     she looks fine. why does mom have blood all over her nose?

We don’t know where the tissues went.
There’s no other car like ours.
What happened?

you need someone to call the police?
                                                            yes.
i don’t know who’s talking.
                              mom, what happened?
i ran over a deer.
                             is it okay?
no, it’s dead. it
died.

Nobody sounds normal.
Mom sounds weird.
The deer is dead.
That’s the saddest part.

Sigrid Kim is a student attending a high school in Virginia, where she actively engages in writing, drawing, and caring for her two beloved dogs, Oliver and Cooper. In preparation for her future academic endeavours, she is currently assembling her portfolio and has recently secured admission to Juniper’s Young Writers Camp and Sewanee.