Macro/Micro Map Elee Edwards

Blank Walls Abbie Ring

The yellow light that once seemed warm and inviting now only casts jaundiced shadows.

Bed converted to couch. Pushed up against the door, bracing shut your options. Desk tucked underneath like every hour you spent there— now overshadowed. Entire life below the springy mattress. No one is here to sleep on it anymore. Maybe your tones of pink captured the homey-ness but with them all gone all I have is green growth or puke.

The smell of death that we used to joke becomes a reality in bleach scrubbing out each channel of what you left behind, like maybe I can be rid of the isolation. Killing germs only serves to lessen the number of living organisms in my company. Hold up three fingers and a disjointed thumb in solidarity.

Melancholy never too much before—when eye contact was there to ground me. I need a person to make me be a person. Their circadian rhythm a metronome that reminds me of what mine should be. Set the pace.

All left behind, a penny. Tails up, not heads; unlucky.

I’ll leave the windows open tonight fan on, in memory.

Don’t know if I’ll turn it off, can I ever sleep in silence? Even though I shiver, the air creeps in. Being cold and empty suits the mood of the room.

Scrunchies, glasses, and tie-dye fell by the wayside. No more sloth dishes or llamas by the sink. An end to the background movies.

For although the settee is made, I cannot bring myself to sit on it, unplug the icicles for the first time since you did, but it needs to be done. Every time from now on, it will be me. Immediately, it’s 2:05 a.m. and there’s no one here to make me go to sleep.

Yakin’ Quinton Gaul

Kayaking has always been held in a special place in my heart. There is something special about going out on the water on a tiny little craft that is nearly an extension of oneself. In calm waters, it can be maneuvered with the simple swipe of the paddle. There is no motor to control, only the tips of the paddle. In order to move, one must do it all on their own, with nothing to aid but an oddly shaped stick. Being as the watercrafts are so small, there is no guarantee that it will not flip as soon as you get in. That is part of the fun, though, being completely at the mercy of your own balance and ability to fight against the current, which may well try to toss you in.

The physical action of moving and staying upright is only a part of the fun, though. The other part comes with going places that no other craft can go. The water needs to be no deeper than six feet to kayak, much shallower than most boats can go through. This does not mean that a kayak is the only boat that can go there, though, as some boats are designed for just that. What I can tell you is that no boat other than a kayak is designed to be carried across land to get from one part of the water to another. Sometimes the water goes down a path full of rocks and trees, so you can simply pick the kayak up and skip the treacherous parts.

Eventually, you get to places that are completely secluded with nothing but you, your kayak, the water, and any friends you might have brought with you. That is perhaps the best part. Being alone with nature, with nothing to distract you from the beauty of it all. You can find turtles,

fish, and if you are unlucky, as I once was, you might even see a snake swimming in the water. You hear the birds above and see the leaves as they drift from their high perches in the trees down to the water all around you. You get to smell the water in all its odd scents and feel it drift as you stir it up with your paddle. Nothing comes close to this feeling of serenity. If you decide to bring friends, all you hear is their voices, uninterrupted by any man-made sounds. The deepest conversations happen when you are paddling side by side, completely immersed in your surroundings. It is those conversations in that surreal place that I would not trade for anything.

Let Me Be Jade Milota

I was born this way. What else can I say?

Yes I look different from you, but you look different too.

I wish this topic never came up. Why can’t we just leave it at “sup?”

I bet mice don’t ask one another why they look the way they do. They’re probably nice to each other one not making others feel blue.

We’re all unique, can’t you see? So, please just let me be.

Play Your Role Joseph Kehinde

You never seemed to care enough. You never seemed to realize that money doesn’t buy love. You never showed me how to treat women.

I had to be the Artistotle of my life my naivety made me act like you, selfish and self-centered.

I feel like you could have been more loving. Time and attention are things money cannot afford. Were you not able to see this?

I wish you were there for me I wish you never left I wish you were more accountable I wish I didn’t need to wish for a basic necessity like you.