Katrina Kaye

Gardenia petals
tossed off the balcony,
only to be crushed
under the heels of black boots.

One more opportunity
to show the difference
between white and ruin,
and yet when the bomb drops
we find ourselves
creeping toward windows
in hopes of a better view
to ease the curiosity
panting on our tongues.

The hunger is obscene,
but I no longer crave the sugar
I used to savor.

Curled into myself,
I feel no anger or madness,
just the repeated pitter patter
of the drops from window;
a constant reminder
that on this side of the world
mold consumes in darkness.

“Post Euphoria” is previously published in Fevers of the Mind (2022) and Otherwise Engaged (2022).