coda

a lie’s melody stitches together
words
that died with hope,
when you could only hear the
tears staining your
surgical gown;
memories
of when you held me
in your arms, and not the
other way around;
oceans
of what ifs, of
coughed blood,
drowning;
fireflies in an open field
painting the stars with
ephemerality, drifting
through wrought-iron cemetery gates
as they light
the way to you.

Alan Zhong is a young writer currently residing in New Jersey. He is a two-time alumnus of the Kenyon Review Young Writers’ Workshop, and an alumnus of the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio. His work has been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.