Malaya Stanger (15)
in my dream on the journey to self-preservation
i fell through the planet like it was a lake of holy water
& my body reconstructed.
there was a powwow, so i had been dancing
to the pulse of the drum
while my skeletal system snapped like twigs.
through my skull came soft blood flow
until i had a vision
of an apple tree budding in reverse.
fruit before flower
like some kind of cursed birth
or maybe a miracle.
i spotted god curled fetal position in a foxhole
—yet he was fossilized,
this i realized when his hand crumbled into dirt
when i tried to hold it.
he told me to close my eyes & through
the red glow of my lids fluttered the truth;
that living itself is sacrilegious
& this is a miracle, too.
Malaya Stanger is a Native American youth who currently attends Nixyaawii Community School. She is a writer, dancer, and dog lover. Her inspiration comes from reading unique and diverse work.
in my dream on the journey to self-preservation
i fell through the planet like it was a lake of holy water
& my body reconstructed.
there was a powwow, so i had been dancing
to the pulse of the drum
while my skeletal system snapped like twigs.
through my skull came soft blood flow
until i had a vision
of an apple tree budding in reverse.
fruit before flower
like some kind of cursed birth
or maybe a miracle.
i spotted god curled fetal position in a foxhole
—yet he was fossilized,
this i realized when his hand crumbled into dirt
when i tried to hold it.
he told me to close my eyes & through
the red glow of my lids fluttered the truth;
that living itself is sacrilegious
& this is a miracle, too.
Malaya Stanger is a Native American youth who currently attends Nixyaawii Community School. She is a writer, dancer, and dog lover. Her inspiration comes from reading unique and diverse work.