Riley Harrison
The world is both beautiful
and fearsome.
Today the wind reckons
against me. The water drags
large stones upon my heel.
Every bird’s shadow clips
closely. The flies do not stop
whirring their engines near
my ears. Close to shore,
seals tease sharks and more
bugs park along my bright
beach towel. The long, pointed
insect ominously approaches.
We’ve been eyeing each other.
He says to me
You are not special. I was also
created.
What a complicated tapestry
this place has become—life’s
every vessel woven into knots
that can never come undone—
flower, wasp, and the stung. Upstairs,
someone’s laughing.
Riley Harrison is a senior at Northwestern studying theatre and creative writing with a poetry concentration. Raised in Colorado, she feels especially drawn to exploring the natural world through her writing.
