by Carella Keil
Girl
She’s not the kind of girl
you write songs about, she knows.
But she told you that, in the whispers.
In the way her heart beats differently.
Slower, in a straining way.
The kind of music it creates
takes a full heart to dance to,
and hers is still half-empty.
She’s no soulless, despondent sprite.
She’s any other contradiction,
but no basket case. It’ll take a while,
but if you can stand the slow crescendo,
it will be worth the wait. A year lost
takes a lifetime to gain back. But it’s okay.
She keeps telling her heart
it’s okay. As if it ever listened. Because
this music paints imaginary colors.
This music paints fantasy.
You can only see it when you close your eyes,
when you stop breathing.
You’ll feel the wind on your skin
and know what it’s saying. She told you,
she’s been there a million times.
She’s not the kind of girl you write songs about,
she knows. But she’s the kind of girl
who has written songs about everything.
Natasha Bredle is an emerging writer based in Cincinnati. Her work has been featured in publications such as Words and Whispers, Heart of Flesh Lit, and The Madrigal. She has received accolades from the Bennington College Young Writers Awards as well the Adroit Prizes. In addition to poetry and short fiction, she has a passion for longer works and is currently drafting a young adult novel. Instagram @natashabredle.
Carella Keil is a writer and digital artist who splits her time between the ethereal world of dreams, and Toronto, Canada, depending on the weather. Her art has appeared recently on the covers of Glassworks Magazine, Colors: The Magazine, and Frost Meadow Review, and is forthcoming on the cover of Straylight Magazine. Her art has also been featured in Skyie Magazine, Existere, Burningword, Chestnut Review and The Field Guide Poetry Magazine. instagram.com/catalogue.of.dreams twitter.com/catalogofdream.