The time of, by Corey Neal
I remember my first shadow
Under hum of lamp post
On the asphalt in un-yellow hue
A cul de sac behind the pink sun
And now comes the flood
O blue nights and leaves
O the impermanence of concrete
The impermanence of
Fall that felt so eternal
Recurrent until one year I forgot the cold
And by the time I remembered it hadn’t come
It was stale heat and blooming all around
My little arms and legs
The first time feeling hydrogen peroxide
Who was it that was there
Dreaming of angels and steel towers
Pondering the underneath of scabs
When was there time
Later in the back seat
The lamp posts blinking across me
The radio sang disinterested
In the un-yellow shade of the sedan canopy
Who was it that was there
Counting twilights and misremembering the tune
O it was singing if I could recall
What was the song
O the impermanence of evergreen
Remember the night again
Climbing all through the streets
There were a lot of us
We still remember casting un-yellow shadows
Who was it that sat in wood chips
Smelling the bloom all around
Hearing swings creak
Guitar strings tremble
O there was singing if I could recall
What were the words on my tongue
And who sung them
In the morning
All the cicadas had stopped singing
The sky a flat memory of blue
Trying so hard to remember tomorrow
And who it was trying to find a forward
And where did it lead them
O the impermanence of pink suns
Who was it then and where
Am I now
As the impermanent seasons wither
Under warmer and warmer summers
Pinker pinker suns
Artwork by Corey Neal