“pastel meadows” by Calum O’Connell

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i dip my hands into the fountain

& the lavender begins. grasses

ripple to evening windchimes,

tender in song, in tongues

just bloomed. clean now,

violet & tumbling beneath

apple orchards, i pluck one

little pearl—for the journey

to the cliffside. i arrive as

seas tinge purple, saltwaters

herbal with petals. i kiss

this fruit, throw it to the sky,

& it is sweet enough: horizons

shatter into summer rain,

soften on my flowerbed.

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Calum O'Connell (he/they) is a queer writer and postgraduate student from Ireland. You can find him on Twitter @caloconnell.