acrostic tales of parting.

an artist always acts angry

before bridges burn- bright,

callous, crassly carefree-

desperately denying darkness.

easily, effortlessly, ending

fake friendships for

great gawky gimmicks,

her hands holding herself.

in itself, isolation is

jerkingly joyous, jarringly

kind. kingdoms keep

losing, love lives long.

maybe most masks

never need nabbing.

often, on odd occasions,

pain pleads, persists, passes.

queens quake, question

rebellion. rosy reputations

sink, spies set scrutiny sailing,

time turns tables.

underneath, universes unite, unafraid.

vulnerability vets vanity,

whispers wildly- we were

yellow, young, yearning,

zesty.

"'acrostic tales of parting.' was made as a personal challenge for myself as a poet. I wanted to try writing an abecediarian for the first time, & this poem talks about being a young artist in times of political turmoil." - notes from the artist

---

PHOENIX TESNI (she/her) is a 23-year-old poet from New Delhi. A Best Small Fictions finalist, her work has also been published in Surging Tide, Sage Cigarettes, Limelight Review, Verum Literary Press, celestite poetry, and many other places. Phee likes to dedicate her life to consuming and creating art, petting every cat she comes across, and having as much fun as she possibly can. You can find her at phoenixtesni.com or on Twitter & Instagram @PhoenixTesni.