I DON’T THINK THERE’S A UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCE

and if there is, where would I store it
in this one-bedroom apartment? How would I carry
such a cumbersome idea around // in a fanny pack
or perhaps a gallon Ziploc baggie? // anyways, what color
would it be? And who would wear a color like that
anyways? Who would want to hold // stroke a texture
so soft, so piney, so unbelievably unsure and how long
could a person stroke it before getting sick
of its inconsistency? // I don’t think anything of us
is just like anything else. I think we are all burning
buildings, wildfires, maybe. Our trees fall, yes // but watch
how none of them are in sync // None of them at all
concerned about the other ones // if there is a universal
anything, love, wouldn’t we all be fervently on fire?

Micaela Walley is a graduate from the University of South Alabama. Her work can be found in Occulum, Gravel, and ENTROPY. She currently lives in Hanover, Maryland with her best friend -- Chunky, the cat.