Aryani Pallerla is a poet and researcher living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A recent graduate of the University of North Carolina, she has written two chapbooks, respectively titled Metamorphosis and Red Dirt Mosaic. Her work has appeared in the Daily Tar Heel and Infusions.
Healing
When asked how I’ve been, I said happy. Quick as glass breaking,
heavy as gold. The sun kissing my skin is still not as sweet
as those lips on my cheekbone. I feel warmth for the first time.
At night, our messy curls tangle together like snakes,
shedding parts of ourselves to get closer. Every whispered secret
feels like a holy confession. We pray to different gods.
Skin gets softer the more I speak into it,
so I never stop talking. Olive is the best color for sins.
We stare at each other too long until we laugh,
and suddenly we are both twelve again,
and we are twelve always.