issue one / serendipity
wish upon a star
Shreya Senthilkumar
shooting star,
how you wish you were human
but instead you’re a traitor
to all the heavens,
a deity baring your doubts
upon the unforgiving altar,
tracing a freer future
in the paths of falling flames
shooting star,
how I wish I were fireproof
but instead my palms burn
as they cradle your body,
your ethereal figure foreign
to my cracked, mortal hands
that shrivel to charcoal dust
but still yearn for your warmth
shooting star,
how we wish things were different
but instead we are this:
a contradiction, a mistake,
a monster and a god
dancing under the same sky,
bringing shame to our names
with every faint touch and embrace
shooting star,
we should not exist
and we won’t last long
but still, we’ll relive
this moment
‘till our dying breaths
tear us apart
how you wish you were human
but instead you’re a traitor
to all the heavens,
a deity baring your doubts
upon the unforgiving altar,
tracing a freer future
in the paths of falling flames
shooting star,
how I wish I were fireproof
but instead my palms burn
as they cradle your body,
your ethereal figure foreign
to my cracked, mortal hands
that shrivel to charcoal dust
but still yearn for your warmth
shooting star,
how we wish things were different
but instead we are this:
a contradiction, a mistake,
a monster and a god
dancing under the same sky,
bringing shame to our names
with every faint touch and embrace
shooting star,
we should not exist
and we won’t last long
but still, we’ll relive
this moment
‘till our dying breaths
tear us apart
Shreya Senthilkumar (she/her) is currently a high school student living in North Carolina. She is a staff contributor for The Lunar Journal and a columnist for Ice Lolly Review. When she is not writing, she can be found wandering around Barnes and Noble or managing her school’s calligraphy club. You can follow her on Twitter @http_shreya.