decant desperation

there are no words for

a mother in mourning

her cries are

swans’ calls

seeking swift shelter

no bonfire can warm her

she floats,

aimlessly

as wayward winds transpire

to annex

all that is stainless,

and wide-eyed

and safe

we sully each strand of sureness

delegating those who wish

to wield walls

of lax laws

as paragons of purview

whilst those who hold tender

the prospects of purpose

the benign benefactors

vying for vicious venom

of the ravenous rabble

are swayed into

submission

as if one could

defeat despair

why must we wield wounds

as weapons?

---

Marie Magnetic is a Chicago-based creative. She is inspired by her identity as a queer, Jewish, Indigenous, neurodivergent woman while examining dystopia, delight, and delusion in society. Growing up in a small town in southwestern Michigan helped to shape Marie's values as she witnessed friends and family suffer from addiction, mental health issues, and poverty. Her artwork reflects the experiences of being othered, whether as a woman under patriarchy, an ethnic minority, or someone with a disability.