Vortex Magazine of Literature and Fine Art: Fall 2023 Online Edition

Page 247

Chameleon in Combat By Brooke Coulter

There is a war going on inside of my head. I’m either high on serotonin, Or cemented down in bed. Sometimes the gunfire blocks my ability to speak. I’m a silent machine, My weakness is mystique. Sometimes bullets fly over my head, as if I am invisible. I’m either a savant or an idiot, But never an individual. Sometimes I thirst to perform onstage, but without any clothes. Thinking that maybe the world would treat me differently, If my skeleton were exposed. Or maybe they’d treat me differently, If I were a little boy who loved trains. Instead of a chameleon in combat, Fighting the war within my brain.

247


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Out of Body

1min
page 155

YOUR LAST BUBBLE

1min
pages 138-143

Going Ape

1min
page 134

Violet Saponaria

1min
page 121

silver screen

1min
page 117

Buccinidae

1min
page 116

Lauren

1min
page 109

First Day Since

1min
pages 90-108

Kuzzo

1min
page 89

Starry-Eyed Fae

1min
page 79

Clicker

1min
page 73

Careless Whisper

1min
page 69

Raggedy Ann

1min
pages 40-49

I just live in this world, you paint it.

1min
page 61

Angel

1min
page 54

Fierce companion

1min
page 51

Lost - Self Portrait

1min
page 34

The Depth of Prayer

1min
page 26

Wiley Rabbit

1min
page 18

Frankenstein

1min
page 12

Editors' Choice Winner in Art (Cover Art): Reduction

1min
page 323

Mary

7min
pages 316-320

The Guiltiest Paint

12min
pages 312-315

The Boys At School: A 501 Hotties Story

9min
pages 308-311

Since You’ve Gone

17min
pages 301-306

Worthy

0
page 295

Inside Jokes of Possible Converts

1min
pages 292-293

A Psalm of Joy

0
page 291

It’s Too Early to Bring Things to Life

0
page 289

My Friend Eric

0
page 281

flowers are for pansies

0
pages 278-279

Elegy to the Pencil That Drew Veronica In

1min
pages 276-277

Oh Moon, My Moon

0
page 271

Sonnet No. 1

0
page 267

Yet

1min
pages 264-266

to bear it all.

0
page 263

Smoke Should Fall

1min
pages 260-261

the lepidopterist

1min
pages 258-259

The Descent

2min
page 255

Expressed Woes

0
pages 252-253

Arrivederci

0
page 249

Chameleon in Combat

0
page 247

Three Intertwined Souls

1min
page 233

Eat the Invasive

0
page 231

zlatý dážď [golden rain]

0
page 229

The Last Hour of Arthur Oggleharrow

19min
pages 202-210

Permission

4min
pages 196-200

From a Pitch to a Planet

0
page 188

ozark funeral

0
page 183

excerpt from the corpse of a young maid

0
page 177

Fireproof Safe for Emotions

0
page 173

Replacement

0
page 171

The Person Everyone Believes You Are

0
pages 168-169

Take the Time

0
page 167

i’m not angry, i...

0
page 163

You & I

2min
pages 158-159

Winds Like a Hurricane

0
page 157

Asterion

0
page 154

Editors' Choice in Creative Nonfiction: How Dead Dogs and A-Level Geometry Helped Me Realize I Could Do Anything

13min
pages 148-151

autonomy.

3min
pages 146-147

Bad Dog

0
pages 135-136

Greyback

27min
pages 124-131

Editors' Choice in Poetry: desperation.

1min
pages 122-123

anachronism

0
page 120

Springtime

0
page 112

Self Love

0
pages 110-111

First Day Since

21min
pages 90-108

The Cost of Crowns

2min
page 88

I Believe in Grilled Cheese

1min
page 87

Bad Hair Day

1min
pages 82, 84

Sick

2min
pages 80-81

His Name Was Michael

14min
pages 74-78

like i do.

0
page 68

Letter to My Mentor

3min
pages 66-67

names are like flowers

0
page 65

Gregory

13min
pages 56-60

Butterfly

0
page 50

Little Me

0
pages 35-36

flicka.

0
page 32

Summertime Funeral

0
pages 28-29

Ennui

0
page 25

homesick

0
page 13
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