Bio
Matthew Ellis (he/him) is a queer poet living in Columbus, Ohio with works published in journals such as Wild Greens and dipity. With a background in chemistry, he spends his time teaching yoga and following creative pursuits in music and writing.
Trigger Warning
The towers downtown reach as if to clouds
a forest with tops obscured by descending mists
Greenery is scarce
The trees have already lost their leaves
floating down rivers of asphalt at quickened speeds
I, too, roost among these hulking things
in a grove sequestered
separated by lakes of blacktop
and fault lines with frequent tremors
roaring as they rumble by
shaking the earth
sending vibrations through my nest
waking me from sleep
I am there, yet not
a part of the forest, a soul apart
Sometimes, I long to wade into its heavy shadows
drag my feet across its rocky soil
but I don’t.
Inescapable and inaccessible, the city is ever-present
I can hear it, feel it
I am of it, but not in it
The city is a part of me,
but I sit aloft