cliff diver

You can find Cyrus on Instagram @_apollyanna_

“Fireworks in Hamburg to Celebrate the Coronation of Emperor Franz I. Stephan in 1745 (Detail)” from Klebeband 10 at Fürstlich Waldecksche Hofbibliothek (1745)

you hang up streamers and party balloons on

your staircase, tinsel and baubles

banner reading “С ДНЕМ РОЖДЕНИЯ”

(you couldn’t find the english, buried in cardboard boxes)

set down one cup and a french press, steaming

pricy green tea steeped thrice, drawing out

as much flavour as you could.

silent, save for the sirens

(unrelated, background noise in philadelphia.)

you light up and pass it, left right left.

i’m so glad you could make it, whispered along with the smoke.

thanks for coming.

you haven’t seen them in two weeks, although

one or two or all of you were lost at sea

for a while,

leaking the saltwater you were forced to drink.

i’m glad we’re here, under the cold moon that joined us

for another smoke session

as you nested in layers of cotton, no gloves.

thank you, for pushing through thorn bushes and

waking up in freezing air, for wrapping

yourself in blankets, for caring.

thank you to those who took late-night buses

and trains for a good time.

sending out lighthouse signals, sweeping lights

in search of other open homes.

thank you for taking these hands.

About the author:

Cyrus Nasibulin is a writer and theater maker working in Philadelphia. His poems have previously been published in Vagabond City Lit and Temple University's Lunar Journal. When not writing, Nasibulin spends his time working on his theater degree and reading weird shit. Find more of his work on Instagram @_apollyanna_.