“Naming Ceremony” & “The Man on the Moon Tells Me My Name”
by Jahnavi Mehta
Naming Ceremony
When I forget I was born
into a death wish still bruising
from the failings of men
Remind me I am
a blue thing
you call most holy.
My sisters have names
sounding like bubbling
we meet once at the edge of the sea.
Maybe I am saying
romanticise cold blood
adopt red snakes dripping off cheeks.
Maybe I am saying
loss is only foreboding
we will be heaved upwards.
January leaving in both directions,
alter-ed prayers melting
ice sheets on mountains.
The Man on the Moon Tells Me My Name
the man on the moon tells me I am a river.
I have been born in the head of a saint.
the man on the moon tells me I am
a million years old. My memories are
tumblings falling from the sky.
the man on the moon tells me an ode is
always a promise a name
always a sentence.
Always an already drawn line.
the man on the moon tells me I should
know how to stay awake because
there are no men and there is no moon.
And the only whisper I hear is your voice
etching yearnings into my palms.
Jahnavi Mehta is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology at Wesleyan University. They write from Bombay.
MJ Sullivan is a queer, nonbinary creative/designer from & currently in New York. As an adult emo, they love curating Spotify playlists, reminiscing on their nights spent in mosh pits & crying to Phoebe Bridgers on long, daily hikes. You can check out their Insta (@mjsullivanart) or their website (mjsullivanart.com) for more of their illustration, design, motion & photography work.
