3 poems

by Mira Cameron

a lost self finds the end of a day 

fragmented can

diet coke and sangria

apathy

an attempt to lose

myself on the train ride home.

apathy becomes intent

intent becomes a hole

sangria becomes whiskey

this is the order I know

if I want the pain to go away

why do I put it into my body

pouring gasoline on a fire

is damage control

eruption, a method to stop.

Dreamscape

i’m in a state of slow, balletic ascent 

floating past the moon 

cloud

the prairie sky open

my vulva spread mirroring 

the vast gash of the milky way

starstruck, my body is lost to necessity 

a spirit’s structure

expressionistic constellations 

shapeshifting requires being willing

to find yourself wherever you are.

lately, i have been

a horde of beetles 

a hero who failed you

a distorted lie 

and a blue jay fallen from its nest.

Academia as a source of a structure

am i smart or a generator 

molded obsessively into an over-achiever

pace of my head emotional

philosophy and stimulant

green-eyed starry consciousness 

refreshed by death

when i solve a moral dilemma

the good and the bad

both come from chasing my head 

but they encourage this.

mechanical without clear identity

able to be controlled / mechanical 

set standard walk 

but these days I limp.

i want to disassemble in the dark.

Mira Cameron is a Chicago-based transgender poet who aims to coat the mundane in her preferred shade of dream. She studies Sustainability and English at Roosevelt University, where she also tutors writing. Her previous work has been published in Slippage Lit and The Corvus Review. She can be found on twitter @nonsensetheimp or instagram @theyippinhorsefly.