delicate conversations / at the top of our staircase || poetry by Adrian Elise

with art by Christine Hou

‘untitled (pink collar and pearls) by Christine Hou, @hypothetical_arrangements on Instagram. Used with permission.

‘delicate conversations / at the top of our staircase’, poetry by Adrian Elise

sleepwalking through coming of age.
these are delicate conversations of iron, mouthfuls of glass.

a flat, reflective map with snow covered mountains
trap rooms, thin ice in their memory.
we whisper through the nooks and crannies that cannot be seen
more than six feet above ground level

she said,
the other half of this candle burning at both ends
could liberate the pain.

I offered, would I still be a refugee wandering,
averse to the complexities of living?

& if these are not
learned responses
from hours
hiding in closets
then what
of
listening to your gut

these lurching minutes, I prefer the haunt of our silence.

🏔️💬