the body, unarchived by Lindsay Hargrave

the body, unarchived
​

existing in comparison with and i wish

—oh, how i wish—but i won’t
instead i will empty
then heal then
symbolize. From
saints to their gardens and icons, what
is left for me?

Worship this hollow.
this hollow calculated,
this hollow algorithmic,
this hollow beauty*hurt=meaning
and no more joy
but aren’t          you        glad       you
did it     ?

unwanted naps stick to plastic,
but it’s easy to lie about
what goes in

how was i to know
to swallow spirit alone?

i’m barely any older now but i
              know how brittle looks
i’m barely any older now but i
              have built a shrine
i’m barely any older now but i
              accept the offerings
i’m barely any older now but i
              know this vessel is
              like the stars that are the
              crust of all that is
and will
not be destroyed by
mortal means


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Lindsay Hargrave is a senior journalism major at Temple University in Philadelphia. Poetry is a focus of much of her writing alongside non-fiction, and both of these writing practices inform one another.