HONORABLE MENTION - Katherine Edwards

(Self,

It’s time to write it all down

While it still seems like a crystally memory of yesterday. You’ll soon forget, you know,

So, self, dear Lucy, here it is, in remembrance of it never being ‘just a dream all along,’ OK?)

Remember last Tuesday when they cancelled school because of the gas leak?

The chemtrails got ‘em at last…

Thought I that morning,

“Darling, let’s walk and loop the hell out of A Whole New World. Yeah?”

Acquiescing, grabbing umbrellas, and raddishy-pink iPod touches,

Petting back fat ironed hair straight from a 2009 rom-com,

Staring blankly through pink sunglasses at grubby brownstones,

Sing along…a new fantastic point of view, no one to tell us no or where to go…

…or say we’re only dreaming.

A sudden flash of beige soaring upward!

A bat taking flight! A massive one! With no heard! Wait…

A simple flying machine. That’s all, Not a drone. There were canvas wings involved.

Footsteps behind me, followed by a collision.

Wind rustling damp leaves around me, unknown assailant jogging against my arm.

“Sorry,” he said, sucking forward, wool coat scratching my wrist, liquid splashing down next,

Followed by stinging pain.

Blouse sleeve burned through, red and suddenly hairless wrist

Smarting…dirt-sheathed taxis writhing past in parallel lines didn’t help.

“Help!” Why did I say that? Stumbling forward, with the chemical-spiller still in sight…

…I tripped! Over a shredded pink cat keychain, too, goddamnit!

I can’t go back to where I used to be…

The chem-spiller vanished into a brownstone…

…let me share this whole new world with you.

Clutching my wrist, I kicked aside the keychain and followed,

Up the stpes of the brownstone, the chain…trail.