Joshua Zeitler
The man who wasn’t a man flew to the moon, looking for other bodies that formed slant rhymes with their souls. Instead they found lonely bowls of dust that floated when kissed. Since they weren’t getting any younger, they decided to fly home. I should have told you they made their wings from the discarded purple feathers of chicory blooms, which was not an issue since chicory had no use for feathers. However, they only open with light’s first kiss. They had to wait for the sun to bloom. When it did, they flew home to discover their house was now a larger, lonely bowl of dust that could not float. They had never felt heavier. Maybe I am looking for a body that forms a hard rhyme with the soul after all. Yes, the man who wasn’t a man was me. I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner since you are not getting any younger. Now it is too late; I am already opening.
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Joshua Zeitler is a queer, nonbinary writer based in rural Michigan. They received their Master of Fine Arts from Alma College, and their work has appeared or is forthcoming in in Cutthroat, Stanchion, manywor(l)ds, Midway Journal, Transients, and others. Their X handle is @thejayestofzees.