three poems: God / Lie Down / Be Holy by Kel Massey

God

Lie Down

Be Holy

“Where are you going?” asks the angel,
and I don’t normally stop walking and
take a headphone out for just any street vendor but here we are/
“Home.” I say, and bring the headphone
just a little closer to my ear
as incentive for them to hurry up/
“That’s a long walk.” and I know I never told them
where I live but sometimes
angels say things you just have to move on from/
“Yup.” and I start to walk away
without putting the headphone back in my ear
(I consider myself merciful for this)/
“I have wings... and halos!” they shout
but I don’t trust stolen holiness
so I step back into the flow of bodies and continue walking,
ignoring the twin scars on our backs//

Kel Massey ​

is a non-binary writer from Baltimore currently working on their bachelor's degree in English. They enjoy strong coffee, big jackets, and crying over actual play podcasts. You can find them @knife_orange on twitter.