I’d like to go it alone and I’d like
to gash holes into the floorboards, too. Hand
me a pocket-knife and I’ll dismantle it all,
I’ll scoop up the encroaching ocean, molecule
by molecule, and I’ll sit here until the last
moment – I’ll save myself. I wasn’t much
for raising sails or steering. I didn’t have
the expertise for carpentry, the stoicism
for captain – always too emotional. Hand me
your raft, I’ll blow it up with the hot, dangling
air of my lungs ’til they blaze with scarcity,
and I’ll save you, too. Time is slipping
through the waves. I’ll grab your raft
myself. I’ll be the hero. I’ll be the
everlasting hero this time.

About the Author#

Mallory Rader spends a majority of her time in the fetal position. She’s currently Head Editor of Volney Road Review and has been published in Fourth and Sycamore, West Trade Review, The Bookends Review, Gordon Square Review, The Write Launch, and others. She’s not entirely sure whether the world is real or if we are all Sims characters.