By Jaizel Nevlida
Artwork by Alejandro Moran
The girl in red favored lots of things:
Coffee, evening showers, wine in those little glasses,
Her band posters, her white leather boots, her pink silk robe,
The tiny apartment she rented in the outskirts of the city.
She often found pleasure in the small things
And in the company, she kept,
From the friends she shared her deepest thoughts with
To the women and men that kept her bed warm.
Her music taste was chaotic and reflected every mood
Known to man,
But she would continue to create dozens of playlists,
Hoping that one day she would be able to share them with someone.
She enjoyed falling in love,
But hated the way modern society didn't appreciate it,
With online dating and one-night stands.
She admits that despite this,
She has brought home many strangers,
From nights out in the city,
But always desperately hoped that this time,
This person would be the final stranger,
That lay in her bed,
And they would become more.
She envied the women in movies
With curvy, imperfect bodies, and beautiful hair
That seemed to always be struggling internally,
With their messed-up heads and outlooks on life,
But always living life vicariously,
Them traveling around the world,
A new city and a new mysterious day,
Awaiting them,
To distract them from the horrors of reality,
And their minds.
She often wore that long red dress,
Matched with a black leather coat for when it was cold
Or her long kimono during the summers.
The girl in red favored lots of things,
But what she favored the most,
What she found to be the end of all means,
Was the final cigarette in her pack,
Left upside down to be smoked for good luck.
On one quiet night
Back in the spring air of May,
In the comfort of her tiny apartment,
In the outskirts of the city,
She kindled a fire
In the middle of her living room.
Fresh wood stacked high to the ceiling,
And doused in foul smelling liquid.
She took the last cigarette out of her box
And put it between her red lips.
She took her lighter out and lit the end,
And at about halfway smoked,
She threw the last lit cigarette,
In the middle of her living room,
And watched as the small things she enjoyed,
Her posters, boots, silk robe, and favorite wine glasses,
Burst into red flames,
And her with it.
A Note From The Author...
I often find beauty in absolute chaos, especially in things in my life. I was inspired by the certain aesthetic behind it and so this women in this story embraces it and allows herself to be literally and figuratively consumed by it. I find parts of myself in her and her ways, which is why I created this piece earlier this semester.
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