By EMILY WYKOFF
Will this love die if unattended?
Abscising our petals, like peonies decaying
Feed for squirrels and worms and everything else
That wants to eat us alive
I can feel it pressing into my skin
The glory of being with you
Against the logic of my head
To the detriment of my heart
We’re falling apart
Too quickly to stitch back together
The pieces fraying, turning us to mulch
Absorbed into the recycled earth
It’s not that I don’t want you
I do, far too much
Now my mind is breaking down
You’re rotting my brains out
I wish I’d known going in
The way my soul would flake and fall
Forgetting to attach and protect
Leaving my heart bare for the taking
Now I wait
As the leaves fall and die
Decaying just like us
Volitant in the cold October wind
Falling just like we did
Detached and disintegrating, I’m buried alive
Into the decomposing landscape
Away from you
Writer | Emily Wykoff ’26 | ewykoff26@amherst.edu
Editor | Evelyn Chi ’25 | etchi25@amherst.edu
Artist | Alma Clark ’25 | amclark25@amherst.edu