melina iavarone

I Have Nightmares Too

melina iavarone

Julia Cleo Fisher

A lot is transmitted through symbols at the perinatal ward. A pink star on the door, only females can enter. Mother having trouble breastfeeding? Look for a flower. Rainbow? A miracle baby after a death. Lately it’s been different. Isolation precautions; endless slips of purple paper. Not the worst thing ever. The worst thing is the picture with butterflies. Especially knowing that the mother had COVID-19 and a lung problem and that her birth was traumatic and, fuck, I just saw the baby yesterday. It passed its hearing test and I thought the mother was discharged, she was fine, why are there butterflies on the door if she was okay, she was recovering? Her baby did not recover.

Orange Flowers

Yasmin Nayrouz

Orange flowers shine in a dull room— In a cracked, ivory vase, dust gathers by noon. Soft petals lathered in sunshine. She carefully waters the flowers, Makes sure they get enough light, Feeds them with love—although she’s deprived.

Her mind is lost and wanders in dark caverns; She holds a torch made up of orange flowers. Her grip on the waxy stems, strong like death. Aimlessly wandering the depths of her mind. Reality—she aimlessly wanders her house, Filled with memories she’d rather forget. Except the flowers Which burn like fire.

Taken care of more than herself, In a shrine on the top shelf, People whisper and laugh: It’s a waste of time—a distraction—an illusion. A memory of her past that will fill her future. Never giving up or doubting the flames of the flowers. It burns within her, Tends to its fire and feeds it with her breath.

Orange flowers shine in a dark mind, Its truth she can’t deny, Guiding the way to an exit she knows will appear— Orange petals trailing behind, Like fire fluttering to ashes. Who has the courage To pick them up, To make flowers reborn?

Hope is its name, A never-ending cycle of flame, 34 | Perception

As it dies out in one, it ignites in another. It withers on graves, But blossoms in the heart of the troubled.