“Vancouverism” & “A.M. Rounds – UTMB, 12.17.2032”
by Riley Ratcliff
Vancouverism
We were all here to sleep together, though
no one wanted to once the time came.
The night shaken free of horizons, black-
birds scattering, nothing came and
went. We lost what it meant to be here.
I’m still thinking it through. There is
a pit of unseeable depth to circle round.
One is in a hurry to leave, but one’s visitor.
Eyes an alien skyline. You said he that
touches, that withdraws the sky, and fell
asleep in the middle of your sentence.
So we have 1,00,000 hours until sunset,
though I firmly believe it is January
and streetlights code the street, low-
hanging. Not everyone will ever be gone.
I hope there will always be someone
to at least come back to over the phone.
A.M. Rounds – UTMB, 12.17.2032
All out of stars, I contacted myself, gripping
my back. Three cis dykes were watching tornados
form over the bay. “I have massive babies squishing
five birds in my uterus.” “Where do seals live in
us?” Immunosenescence, astrobiological trends, alien
hand syndrome: some intricacies of experience. “My
beach plans make me happy, though only if physical
time passes.” Solastalgia: to describe the future,
to assess the shortfall. “I love you, ghost-
polluted light.” “I love you, goalie
bluff.” “I love you, frog in the hospital garden.” Yes, she was so nervous, so blue.
Riley Ratcliff is a trans Latinx writer from San Antonio, TX. They currently live off I-85 in Durham, NC, and their work can be found in Sporklet. Get in touch – ourcorrespondence@protonmail.com.
Benjamin Wayne Torrey is a mixed-race non-binary photographer, videographer, and designer from central New York. They often work in collaboration with musicians, and have produced art for Sammus, Izzy True, and naps, among others. Also a musician, Torrey released a debut album with the band Rill Ghosties in 2020. You can find their work at www.benjamintorrey.com.
