When the wind weeps I fall asleep
They gyaff and gather and
plait words into breeze
I sink into their siren songs
instead of coming from a vast ocean deep
they come from a sky vast
with clouds
Sudden wind bursts look like brushstrokes
slamming to the concrete
like a dry brush on cotton canvas
hairs of air drag on the rock
Peaceful slumber
I wish I can trap wind bursts in my empty yogurt jar
so I can release lollipop swirls
and hear their song record spin
Some whistle and graze
while others howl
looking for an encore so they howl louder
loud so it slits glass
loud like 6 crows circling a home
speaking in death’s tongue
The sky wails
souls that can’t find rest
finding passage on strong winds
riding on looping threads of air we can’t see
I crack open my window
wind gusts make my curtains dance
and puff
making them sway like ocean wave
they slide off my curtains
to touch my skin with cold
Twirling autumn leaves until they disappear in blue sky
I’ve never seen 2 leaves fly so high
together, spinning in circles
going up a spiral but never
touching
Ants find shelter
maybe in crumpled paper,
mcdonald’s bags, underneath cardboard stacks,
in a pigeon's feathers or next to a car tire -
in your pocket
Teacher’s words tangle
with the wind’s chimes and screeches
Making it hard to stay awake
Anjali Misir won third prize for her critical essay "Janet Henry & Me" in the Eleventh Annual Humanities & Sciences Undergraduate Writing contest. Anjali is an Illustration major and Sophomore at the School of Visual Arts. She is excited to see how her artwork and storytelling will grow in the coming school years. Aside from drawing, Anjali enjoys writing about artists that stand out to her, flash fiction, and poetry inspired by moments in her life. In her free time, she watches Planet Earth documentaries.