As I am made from the Earth

by Skyla Allen

I often wonder

how I look inside
down beneath the skin
perhaps a surging, sinuous storm

blood, red, well fed
lungs, heart, brain
well-read
sweltering in the heat

of my own heart
an ecosystem of emotions
each
one its own

all four
seasons
of change
expected

as a natural disaster
breaks through
embrace for it
may be the last

before the past
is swept away
underneath 
the current

eventually I’ll surface
cleansed with wind, fire
rain and the Earth
herself

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Skyla Allen (they/she) is an artist and writer based in southern Indiana. Their passions lie in the in-between spaces of genres and are often explored in her writing. They have recently graduated with their M.A. in creative writing and have had their work published in Allusions magazine.