2 poems

Virgil Freier

Central High School

the meadow

( a songbird is dying
very beautifully
in the meadow. )

the flowers bloom,
photosynthesizing
hot, still-pulsating
blood—

( a songbird is singing
very beautifully
in Hell. )

—relentless, the buds
slice open his sickly skin
and reveal
white & holy petals.

a series of vignettes i wrote in your blood

THE MOON’S OPEN THROAT
spilling saccharine silver,
the roof, the bathroom tile,
where i once sat with something
like a voice box humming in my throat.

STEAM CURLS INTO A BODY
& i imagine it is yours,
a body where the blood
runs thicker than the saliva
that once dripped from our mouths

ROSES BUDDING OUT OF A CHEST
which i imagine is mine,
parched and peeling, yet still —
just barely — persisting, tenacious.

BECAUSE SOME THINGS
do not die
when they
should.

VIRGIL FREIER is a high school senior at Central High School in southwestern Wisconsin. He will start college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall. His work explores queer identity, obsession, grief, and the surreal edges of love. Outside of writing, he enjoys studying computer science, singing, listening to music, and spending time with his cats.