Sydney MacGilvray
standing in the museum of natural history
I am struck by the comfort of bones,
their warm interlocking symmetry:
vertebrae slipped snug into vertebrae,
ribs cradling taut air
still soft from ancient lungs.
the long slim femurs pressed strong into the arch of the spine–
a body,
a bridge.
meanwhile, evolution smooths down the sheets,
grinds time into silt into stone,
cups us in its hand and pulls us from the water.
meanwhile, I promise to not let go,
to not crush too tight.
you are held like a bright and perfect thing.
meanwhile,
thumb-knuckle fits in eye-corner
and chin-smile into neck-crook.
the cage of your body is a kind of love,
pressing always
tight into always.
Sydney MacGilvray is a junior from Columbus, OH studying theatre and Spanish. She loves ancient myths, shitty rom-coms, and storytelling through poetry, plays, and song.
