Oh, there’s something
coiled around my chest again.
I did not know that
snakes could hibernate until
this one woke up.

Have you ever heard the sound of
the world bleeding?
I can right now.
It is roaring in my ears
and I cannot hear my heart beat.

I am wide open and gaping;
all of a sudden, a natural disaster.
I’ve been split down the middle
and everything is pouring in but
I do not know if it can fit.

Madeleine Christie goes by Maddie except when writing poetry. She frequents Starbucks far too often for someone on a student budget, and she’s fascinated by mythos and the cosmos. An 18-year-old currently living in New Zealand and studying classics and linguistics, she has a love for language and a desire to see the world. More of her work can be found at vespairs.tumblr.com.

Molly Lichten is a young, talented photographer. View more of her work on Flickr and Facebook, or visit her website, Molly Lichten Photography.