for all the times we lived and died, i say
by Jessica Tsang
here is the battlefield strewn with our corpses. already, from these
towering turrets i spy you through the telescope, ready to launch
yourself back towards the war. teeth bared, maw gaped, jaw unhinged
like the way our bodies scream silently. our armies are ourselves,
marching past versions of us through the night, carrying swords
made of spite and defeat. surrender lingers in the air, but none of us
make a move to inhale it. this is the calm before the storm. after
tonight, i will find myself fighting off my nightmares in the shadows,
because
each face at the corner of my eye is mine, with bleached skin and dead eyes.
there are only so many times i can watch myself die,
but there is nothing else to do other than combat. on the days escaping feels
like relief, i remind myself that there is
room for only one person in this house, and it will be me.
About the Author
Jessica Tsang is from Hong Kong. Her work is featured or forthcoming in Cathartic Lit, The Heritage Review, The Blue Marble Review and more. You can find the more interesting side of her on Twitter @JessicaTsa_g.