rainless storm

Janice Lin

she holds her arms out to me

boughs of a tree split open by lightning

i breathe in static air that runs

up my spine like electricity

feet planted like saplings

torn through still burning

her gaze flashing through me

crackles down to the nerve

and to the muscle lodged

between my ribs trembling

can’t move my body.

Janice Lin is a student from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a staff writer for her school's literary magazine, and her work is forthcoming in Tigers Zine. In her free time, she likes worldbuilding, listening to music, and finding new boba stores with her friends.