“To the Girl who painted”
her loft bedroom a dark blue
who plastered stars
on all the walls
lay in bed lonely
pretending she could see
through the ceiling
There is a reason you looked
to the night sky for isolated comfort
resented the sun
for outshining older glimmers
who traveled farther to
get here
You knew the tremendous emptiness
that Cassini experienced
when orbiting Saturn
and her moons
I know you
I know
if someone asked you
to dive into a gas giant
to die in the cosmos
learning until your pieces
tore apart in Saturn’s atmosphere
you would go
To the girl who spent her childhood
in the smallest bedroom
turned it into
the definition of infinity
I know why you wanted to leave
Somewhere in
the endless universe
there might be
someone like you
“Knickknacks”
Little papers folded and curled
to fit through the top of
an old wine bottle
Flowers pressed between
pages of my mother’s favorite book
until they are dry and brittle
Movie ticket stubs
wrinkled and stained from pockets and popcorn
stumble into my wooden keepsake box
The first autumn leaves found on
brisk morning walks brought to
the coffee table for others to admire
Notes my sister left me as a child
crayons and poems taped and glued
to the walls of my navy blue bedroom
This is what I do
with every memory
I keep of you
“Change of Plans”
I worked harder
than all of them
I wanted more than they
could ever imagine
They had a vague idea
of their future
While I schemed and earned
everything I dreamt of and more
I learned
some people get to live
in the passenger seat
and watch all the passing
mountains and trees
while the ones driving
planning and navigating
Crash because they were
too focused on the map
I was in control
I was paying attention
I deserved what they were given
Now I’ve learned
deserve is just a word
made by people who didn’t achieve
the plans they spent
their whole lives wanting
and working for
I deserve no more
Biographical Note: Anna McElhannon is an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky studying physics and creative writing. She is currently researching RR Lyrae stars, and in her free time you can find her drawing, writing, or taking long walks in the cold.