scarlet against the wall

art by Corinna Keum, writing by Shahnoor Chaudhry

smeared paint

lights, so loud they feel like sirens

i feel my feet melting into wet ground

someone’s palms resting on my hips

a teenager with his first car

motion sick

this place prides itself on sweat

it’s a scene i’ll miss forever

an art piece in an offbeat tribeca gallery

smeared paint

tells a story i can’t understand

but i’ll infuse it into my scarlet blood

beat it into my throbbing head ‘til i believe it

i’ll be sick to my stomach whenever i think

of plastic cups on hardwood floor

blood and sweat and tears and veins

hands and hearts and minds and brains

everything is

beating

to songs from high school parking lots

this is where i’m meant to be

or so they say

in the blur, purple bruised bodies

rest against each other

lovesick

i can’t seem to believe it

so don’t let me leave the haze