My mind is flying faster than an arrow  
These thoughts come and go 
Sometimes, they flow and glow 
Other times, they are lost in the undertow  
 
I am flying away from the encroaching Sahara 
And the noxious coal-burning smokestack era 
My eyes are stinging from yesterday’s mascara 
And my wings feel like the dying leaves of a Monstera 
 
On this polluted planet, out there somewhere 
Will I ever fly in a clean atmosphere? 

Editor: Erynn Crittenden