Aubade

by Molly Kirschner

By daylight the lake appears
to be missing its stars.
The black hole is now a blue island,
trimmed in green and brown.

Patches of shadow stretch out in their
beds beneath the trees. Branches bear flowers,
and tree trunks branch three ways,
like braids come loose.

Come loose. Won’t you? While the sun is still
intact, and you can, and our little planet spins
like a handful of leaves in the hand
of the wind.

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Molly Kirschner is a rising sophomore at Bennington College; she studies literature and drama. She is an avid poet, author, dramatist, and journalist, who has been published on Ms. Magazine’s blog. She was a winner of the 19th Annual Young Playwrights Festival of Bergen County, and she won Honorable Mention in the NJ Young Playwrights Festival of 2011. Molly is also a dedicated theatre artist, with a passion for social justice. She is an alumnus of Girl Be Heard, formerly Project Girl Performance Collective.