Poem by Beatrice Preti – c2017
Photograph by Darwin Chan – c2018
i am the monster who steals the light
whenever i speak, all hope takes flight
i watch it escape, watch it grind into dust
i watch the hearts freeze, then wildly combust
it’s a balloon that i’ve popped, another flat tire
their eyes are all dead. i’ve put out their fires.
i’ve sent their souls south, now they’re trapped in hell
and i am just speaking to corpses, to shells
i feel like a demon for causing this pain
but each single visit is always the same
i watch as they cry, as they shout, as they scream
i know i’m the water which extinguished their dreams
and when they are empty and their light is all gone
i rise from the ashes and swiftly move on
but they won’t move on. no, i’ve drowned their desire.
i’m a fireman in scrubs. i’ve put out their fires.
