We drank coffee and smoked cigarettes as the sun rose.
We spoke in philosophical rhymes, unaware of the passage of time.
I realize now that the love we had is lost.
You reach for me, but I am a phantom. Long ago, I stopped reaching back.
Still, what we had—the raw and unearthly attraction, the bond forged between our two souls—is unlike anything I’ve ever known.
I will be alone until love strikes my heart like it once did.
I want a love that burns me to ash and then resurrects itself from the remnants.
I want a love that bleeds, gives, and never makes me question my worth.
If I can’t have that, I am content with nothing at all.

-Rhia Clay

A tiny beetle
Shimmering in the sun
All the colors of the rainbow.
Like benzine spilled in the rain.

Beneath the boughs where twilight spills its gold,
The whispering winds through blooming meadows glide.
A river sings where silent secrets fold,
And daisies nod with grace the hills can't hide.

The sky, a canvas brushed in fading flame,
Reflects in pools where dragonflies alight.
The lark ascends and calls the sun by name,
While shadows dance beneath the birch’s light.

In Nature’s hush, the soul is softly stirred—
A truth more pure than ever man has heard.

In narrow alleys,

people cling close together --


escaping the sun.

I know the sun will rise at dawn,  
But not the paths my feet will drawn.  

I know the words, yet not their weight,  
Nor how they’ll twist or seal my fate.  

I know the sea, its waves so wide,  
But not the depths where secrets hide.  

I know the seed, but not the tree,  
Or what its branches yet may be.  

I know the start, but not the end,  
A fleeting thought I can’t defend.  

I know enough to humbly say—  
The more I learn, the less I know each day.

(The sun’s pov)
I am the life, the light, the dawn—
burning bright, revolving endlessly.
I paint the skies, a vow to you:
We will meet when light and dark subdue.

I see you glow— how ethereal you are.
You have always deserved my radiance,
Setting the night sky ablaze with your light
A glimmer, quiet yet bright.

The stars, my siblings, ask of you:
‘Why do you and The Moon never meet?’
If only fate were kind.
The heavens would fracture,
Our love is almost cataclysmic.

I love you, but love is not enough.
I beg to stay—
Though our part is demanded.
Burning with light I lend you,
I yearn for a touch,
I can only give in the shadow.
Be it lunar or solar.

(The moon’s pov)
I rise as you fall,
Only glimpse I catch— a golden ring,
You set the sky ablaze, a burning promise,
Painting the horizon in shades of you.
Is it a letter left for me?
A vow that someday, we will meet again?

Yet, I am the echo of light left behind.
I shine for you, hoping you’ll notice me.
Do you ever watch as I light up the sea,
or does your fire outshine me endlessly?

The stars murmur our names.
watching me rotate, watching you revolve.
Questioning our distance,
Yet if we did— if our worlds aligned,
Wouldn’t the cosmos tremble?

I long to meet you— I long for an eclipse.
glowing in the light I borrow.
Yearning for a touch,
I’ll only taste in shadow—
be it lunar, or solar.