A carpet of moss exhales inside an abandoned temple. A lone figure scrapes grime from a row of faded headstones. He brings flowers to a sunken patch of grass—chrysanthemum, hyacinth, pink lily mid-bloom—& lights a white candle beside the bouquet. Pacing the soil above his love’s stripped bones, upon the damp ground he kneels. Summer air whistling between his steepled fingers, he bows in silent prayer—
Jason, burn with me
once it is my time. Lilies
open wide in hell
Malik Thompson (he/they) is a Black queer person from Washington, DC. His work has been published in Diode, Denver Quarterly, Poet Lore, and elsewhere. He has received fellowships and residencies from organizations including Cave Canem, Lambda Literary, the Anderson Center and Sundress Publications. He can be found on Instagram via the handle @latesummerstar.
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