(strange) by Keyi Wang (14, China)*

If I were honest, I would prevent my tears  
                         from being prevented to fly. Stepping in & shutting  
          my eyes, I      sneeze. Too much dust.  
                                         Always too much dust  
            on tissues. And I  
      stand in them, stained with them,  ​

---

       strained & strangled &  
        strange. When you talk, it’s  
                                                                 not italicized. Asterisks 
fall from asteroids. “May I  
              assume you meant…?” Shut  
      (myself) up. I must (never) be ready to  
  cry on wooden tables. Shoes squeak  
               like ducks. (Me 2) & I wait  
for the thunder. And  
           the moon that falls faster than the clouds. Customizing  
                     colors and kicking cows and cokes  
          becoming cater        pillars. The stories I’ve  
                     seen. The plot I’ve lived in. The  
novellas that burned  
                                                                                 my skin. Calculators run  
                                              out of battery and I’ll call  
                   you back home.