Unsaturated
Music composed by Zoe Wynns
A squirrel touched my back last week
and I screamed but what I meant was come here little animal
I too am like you. The lawn bare like a fish scooped
from its bowl, or perhaps just frightened by the squirrel’s hurried hands.
I begin daily but it occurs inside parentheses.
Meanwhile the sky starts its slow descent
coming in from all directions— the distance between
the sink full from the party and the colorless flowers
seems to lessen. Still breakfast is unhurried
lasting entire days. Laying down
I rehearse dialogues like the one in which the actor says Raj
agar woh tumse pyaar karti hai
woh palat ke dekhegi.* I haven’t looked over my shoulder
for the farewell after the farewell
which is why events seem to last forever.
If a poem is an attempt at briefness
what am I doing here?
Even the nearby temple bells last long enough
to chafe. My house teems with
unmovable objects. Amidst the birdsong
the printer won’t stop running: reading lists
translations bills photocopies of friendship bracelets
whatnot. All this to say a question
that’s unreadable.
It is March already this I know
only from the hours on the window
which is to say I hope that everything needing warmth
is warm enough. That everything that loves
has the courage to be without measuring spoons.
Despite this when I say No I mean
Ask me in another language. Precious life that beats—
it occurs in the blank spaces.
*Raj, if she loves you, she’ll look over her shoulder; a line from the famous Bollywood movie, Dilwali Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
Zichen Chang is a filmmaker, film festival curator and photographer from Beijing, China. He is also a judge at the Student World Impact Film Festival. As a filmmaker, his works have been screened and awarded at many international film festivals. His film works encompass various forms such as narrative film, poetry film, and documentary.
Dhwanee Goyal is the editor-in-chief of Indigo Literary Journal. Their work appears in Barrelhouse, Peach Magazine, A Velvet Giant, and more. Find them on Twitter @pparallell, or on substack: tulipgardenintheshed.substack.com. They are studying History and English in college.
Zoe Wynns is a composer and creator from Cary, North Carolina. She is interested in the ways that music can lift up and enhance other art forms. She has self-produced two albums and a soundtrack for a Carolina Film Association short film. She currently studies music and creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.