“I need to / catch your brain / and steady it”— Sonia Sanchez
on this day
ur brimming w/ confidence
as if after years of getting got
u finally got them back
as tho in some deserted house
u’d found
some secret sign
(daybreak)
(a damsel in distress)
(a simple song)
on this day
we go back to our old routine
MICHAEL CHANG (they/them) is the author of SYNTHETIC JUNGLE (Northwestern University Press, 2023), TOY SOLDIERS (Action, Spectacle, 2024) & THE HEARTBREAK ALBUM (Coach House Books, 2025). They edit poetry at Fence.