by Michael Emerald O.
Better Than Balloons
The road winds in
a valley of weeds.
I sacrifice my bones
to the wind while my
mind paints old
feathers gold.
A dark lake watches
while you draw a
smile on angry clouds.
You hold apricot
daffodils and then set
them free
after plucking petals
and say you are
counting stars.
Natalie Marino is a poet, physician, and mother. Her work appears in Barren Magazine, Capsule Stories, Dust Poetry Magazine, Leon Literary Review, Literary Mama, Moria Online, Re-side, and elsewhere. She also reads poetry submissions for Bracken Magazine. She lives in Thousand Oaks, California with her husband and two daughters.
Michael Emerald O. (he/him) is a Nigerian poet, artist, & photographer. His creative works have appeared, or are forthcoming on Necro magazine, Nymph, Undivided magazine, Eboquills, Spring word web, Third Estate Art magazine, thehearth magazine, kalonipa, & elsewhere. He loves reggae & rap, adores football and mixing, and fantasizes about reincarnating as an angel. He tweets @GemmyEmerald.