things are getting tired now
but the clock ticks on
as the paint slides down the walls.

i dream of ophelia’s mouth
filling with water while the
moon is singing on her face,
all silver lines and unsaid words.

i dream of cassandra,
wishing for the stifling smoke
of troy burning
instead of the bite of a sword.

i dream of terrible things.
i dream of worlds.
i dream of falling.

and you,
you don’t dream at all.

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.

Rachel Kertz was born in a small town in Missouri in 1988. While earning her degree at Southeast Missouri State University, she became interested in photography and began using her commutes as excuses to go on long drives through the rural countrysides, hoping to find locations and abandoned houses to photograph. She hopes to convey relatable stories in her images that speak to her audience on themes such as loneliness, love, exploration, and the feeling of being alone in unconventionally beautiful places. You can find more of her work on Flickr.