"An Amber Grave" was written in ten minutes, and the poem itself describes the events that led to it. I was in my dad's office reading Self Portraits by Osamu Dazai, and we were deep into termite season. To my temporary horror, there was a dead termite in the candle I was using to read by. It's a nonfiction narrative poem that reflects on mortality and the preservation of things beyond death.
"Reflection on Humanity (Why do we?)" was written one summer night during one of my many existential spirals as I pondered humanity and the juxtaposition between common values and common behavior. It reads a bit like a desperate struggle between the narrator and societal behaviors, furthermore a struggle between the narrator and their own behaviors.
Cover Image"Amber fort" by Ben_Lepley is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.