A poem by IVY GAO.   i.   you had a daydream in which you begged for someone to stay.   you awoke and they were never there at all.   ii.   suspend the world in a sprawling sequence of atoms, equations, prophecies, and you’ll see how the shivering spaces between frigid shoulders decree that you will never be enough —   a side-line, a shadow behind the edge of the world’s sight. a half-hissed promise to nobody and nothing because nobody cares and you are nothing   iii.   to any observer, this reads like a love poem in which you try to make everyone fall in love with you and everything dies a little.   the truth is: the world does not owe you anything, and you know it. the world is a weary mouthful of ash and shadows. chew through to the centre of the universe…Continue Reading