March 27, 2023
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sometimes maggie rogers is the only thing that makes sense
By Arianna Monet
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sometimes maggie rogers is the only thing that makes sense
By Arianna Monet
a year ago i had it all figured out:
a somedaydream flecked with mica.
rose quartz frogs.
raspberries & landlines.
now look – a closed door and the redwoods are burning.
i sing to my coffee plant.
i talk to the moon.
there are seventy-two swans in the park & they teach me all their dauntless. a bluejay be way too loud in the dark and, y’know, i get it.
i start by counting the miracles.
strawberry leaves.
neon acrylic.
a ball of focaccia dough on the counter
unbaked cloud rising in a glass bowl.
my favorite peanut butter gets discontinued & finally i understand loss.
the bottles keep filling with dragonflies.
all the seesaws are out of order.
a sunbeam swallows the ocean. every monarch is sunk by the light.
*Note: Lines 13-14 borrow language and inspiration from the Lyd Haven’s poem, “Baking bread with Joni Mitchell stuck in my head.”
Arianna Monet
Arianna Monet (she/they) is a queer Black poet and strawberry ice cream enthusiast from eastern Massachusetts. In the wake of a disabling event with a restructuring effect on her cognition, her artistic practice is concerned with the capacity of poetic form to function as a kind of assistive tech. Their work can be found with FreezeRay Poetry, Split This Rock, and elsewhere. Arianna is also a 2022 Zoeglossia Fellow, and was a member of the 2019 Boston Poetry Slam Team.
You can find her on Instagram @ariannamatopoeia.
Image Description: Arianna Monet (she/they), a dark-skinned Black femme, is pictured from the shoulders up at ¾ profile. She is wearing a sleeveless metallic gold dress and gold graphic eyeliner, with gold star stickers across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Her shoulder-length curls are mostly dark, with a red layer underneath. The setting sun has cast a wash of gold over her face and dappled shadows across her neck and chest, leaving the road and parked cars behind her in semi-darkness.