Stubbornness
Caidan Pilarski
the heat beats me;
this goddamn coat
that I put on today
is far too much now
but I have already made
myself out of the sculpting
of the yawning moment which
birthed itself now and has not yet
stopped since I began which basically
means that I am stuck in a furious tension
between what has occurred and the consequences
Caidan Walker is graduating from Cornell with his BA in English. His poetry appears in various journals and magazines, including The Round, Spectra Poets, The Society of Classical Poets, and Third Wednesday. His website is www.cwalkerpoetry.com.
Loon Lake
Mia Ferrante
the first fish was frowning,
whiskey on his breath.
I left him on the dock, too big
for my grandmother’s pipe cleaner veins,
and yet she slid the hook
from between his drunk jaw
leaving another hole for the firelight
to live through. I pull the next fish,
mouth agape, from the lake.
she cries already knowing
the constellation in its mouth.
forgive us both —
the fish and I — only a sky
growing wider with greed.
I meant to tell the fish
the first time I read a poem
it turned to rust on my bottom lip.
one day the loons will be good enough.
Mia Ferrante is a junior at Cornell, majoring in computer science with a minor in creative writing. She is particularly interested in the growing intersection of technology and storytelling. When she is not coding or writing, she enjoys playing softball, reading, and practicing guitar.
Below
Masha Avrutsky
I live next to a bridge
which carries passing trains
every night
at a bizarre time
The numbers are never
aligned
Its light
beckons a broken song
at 8:47pm tonight
It gently holds my eyelids
the underbelly of my hands
the soft spot between my knuckles
and falls over my face
keeping its touch
ever so slightly
above me
Masha Avrutsky is from Brooklyn, NY studying global development at Cornell University. They enjoy cooking, farming, and making music with their band Vaguely Familiar.