hanging out on Haiphong Street
the beginning of my twenty-first
year and the end of the 2016th
year after death, if you
believe in that sort of thing

the moon has been brighter
this year
in an attempt to make up
for all the dark

the days I held a body with
my body were the brightest
days yet the fewest

the smog in Hong Kong today
is at least on a yellow alert
but at least it’s not red

i feel this is a good analogy
for 2016 and how i read we
were due for an end times
catastrophe and everyone
just responded
“finally”

my body is a building constantly
being redone with new
tiles from new places

i could be completely alone
in this city and no one would
know nor care
because no one knows nor
cares about me here

i am reading Bluets
in the park and wishing
Maggie Nelson were
holding my hand.

Erin Taylor is an American writer. Her writing often deals with her own experiences and trauma. It is usually poetry, with some exceptions. She has a chapbook of poetry OOOO out through Bottlecap Press and she’s the interviews editor over at Maudlin House. She is writing a book on loneliness. Her work can be found at erintaylor.tumblr.com and she tweets at @erinisaway.