elegy for hope

you slipped out early this morning

the silk of your nightdress clinging to your femur

you tore your fishnets when your hands were in my hair

and once, when you thought i wasn’t looking, you tried on angel wings from my nightstand

let a laugh ripple from your tongue and land on my lips

i wonder if wisteria could grow in the gap between your two front teeth

if marigolds would wilt between your thighs

you are a lady who lines her eyes in red

who thinks birthdays and stars are bullshit

who doesn’t believe in beauty or doorknobs or

candelabras or love at first sight

and yet, you believe in me.

Audrey Wu is a junior from Cambridge, Massachusetts who focuses on writing poetry to heal.