This piece was originally published in Quarto’s 2022 Spring Print.
Illustration by Watson Frank
I want a bar that I’ll always go to afterwards
and a dog that isn’t mine
but doesn’t bark when I pass by.
I want what minors call comfort
and adults call hypnosis.
I want everything out of reach
sitting in the palm of my hand.
I want to know what to order and not
have to ask for something fruity and strong.
I want a list of every name I’ve ever been called
and a voice to sing the blues.
I want money that has never been touched
and a fire that has never been lit.
I want to feel the sting of the wasp
and not watch its wings land on my flightless body.
I want a tootsie roll and a rubber duck
and a solid amount of shower pressure.
I want time but not too much.
And I want everyone to look me
in the eyes.
Trey Purves (he/him) is a sophomore at Columbia College studying Sustainable Development and Creative Writing. He loves to run, sip on smoothies, and wander around the forests in his North Carolina hometown.