Streetlights buzz like Van Gogh's stars
as cars create grey tidal waves along sidewalks
and imitate the wind.
.
At night,
I watch videos online:
.
GoPro footage captured
from the dashboard of a van
driving from
Brownsville to Austin, Texas
while thunderstorms
crash around the vehicle;
.
fake livestreams of fake rain
as it falls over an artificial cabin
in a CGI forest;
.
sounds of ASMR rivers
as they pass through my room,
babbling
from my bedside table.
.
I don't acknowledge
"the ache."
.
I close my eyes
and listen to a car drive
through Texas,
as I hug myself
on a bed in Canada.
.
On Google Maps,
I look at pictures of
"trails near me,"
and everything feels
both too far away,
and much too close.
.
Forests with neatly carved out
hiking trails,
tucked in cul-de-sacs
of suburban towns,
or sparse trees leaning
along main roads
as they lead
to glass malls.
.
Leftover nature.
.
Crop circles
filled with cement
and plywood boxes.
.
And when I stare at them
for too long,
Van Gogh's stars
begin to look like
streetlights.
About the Creator
sleepy drafts
a sleepy writer named em :)
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More stories from sleepy drafts and writers in Poets and other communities.
If You Love Me, You'll Do It
I met Jason when I was five years old. I could say that I loved him from the moment I saw him. He was so handsome to me and I felt in awe by his presence. When they introduced him as the new kid in school, I wanted to be his friend right away. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember his smile and how he didn't seem shy. He appeared confident and ready to learn. I waved at him and said "hello," before anyone else could even say a word. He sat next to me, and I asked him if he wanted to be friends. He looked so happy as he said, "Yes!"
By Sidney Smith (Sid Smith)7 days ago in Fiction
Comments (35)
Your story goes full circle - first street lights that look like Van Gogh's stars - ending with Van Gogh's stars that look like street lights. Isn't that just a picture of how life is so many time? Well done!!
Wow, I can really feel the emotion. Beautiful poem!
Great one!! Thanks for writing. I am new around here, can you look at my writings as well and let me know if you liked it. https://shopping-feedback.today/poets/blue-moon-ka77gr01qz%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E https://shopping-feedback.today/horror/strange-land-part-1%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="css-w4qknv-Replies">
Precise, evocative, caparisoned by concrete imagery, and lent depth by its message. "Leftover nature," while a tragedy in reality, is a felicity in language.
Simply sema feel
Love the full circle.
Very lovely. Keep up the good work!!!
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"Leftover nature." You found the most accurate words! Ugh, so good!
Powerful description of the abstractification of nature.
As nyctophile , I love this work ❤️ keep doing more & congrats !
Lovely poem ❤️ will be subscribing to hear more for sure :)
Congratulations 🎉 Also I Enjoyed the Read ❤️💯😉🎯
Wow , nice you made my day
Congratulations on well deserved Top Story! ❤️
This is so gorgeous, Em. There is so much here and so much depth. You open up a new world of poetry to me that I need to dabble more in. Love it, love it, love it!
I love the compelling imagery and energy of this piece. And love, love, love the photo. Congrats!
"A meal and a show" - damn fine work - well done!
I'm so glad they made this a top story. It's so well deserved.
Just beautiful!
A fascinating concept and an intriguing idea that seems so confusing and overwhelming to the brain, but beautiful work. I love it!
This is too much for my brain, soothing me yet also reminding me of that “ache”
Congratulations on your Top Story ❤️
"Leftover nature". That line reached through the screen and slapped me, very powerful!
Van Gogh’s stars ⭐️ magical and magnificent