Illustration © 2021 Cécile Matthey
I have loved my armor too long
to feed it to the unhungry belly
of the recycler.
Let me show you the treasures of my closet.
i. raspberries
Raspberries do not grow on the station,
but my long white shirt has a red stain
on its hem, and when I wear it
I hold the taste of raspberries in my mouth.
ii. the wind
When I wore my blue dress, the wind touched me
like it had asked permission and heard
my resounding yes, and pressed its hands to my body.
There is no wind here, but the dress remembers.
iii. joy
I cannot wear my spiked gold heels
on the mesh floor of the station,
but I still need the height and the shine,
the feeling of fizz and laughter.
iv. belief
There are no more job interviews,
but when I put on my pinstriped jacket for them,
people would believe I could do the job.
I need to believe, now, that I can do the impossible.
I need these things more than I need
functional jumpsuits, practical boots.
How can I go into the wild starred future
without my breastplate of a wool coat
or my gauntlets of soft mittens?
Do not ask me to.
© 2021 Devin Miller
© 2004-2023, The Future Fire: ISSN 1746-1839
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