Little Architect, Natasha Hirt
I. Mouse
You run from owls and coyotes,
the rigorous bum-bum, bum-bum
of the tiny bass drum
rings through your marimba ribcage.
Little rivers of blood and memories
traveling, meandering
through cracks in the bones,
treading through snow
as your toes and tail
are dragged along.
II. Spider
Huddling in the corner
of a frost embroidered net,
your hairy legs are curled in to protect
the core. The powerhouse
is slow and soft against your chest,
kept quiet for the kill
and capture. It spins in a web
of its own, a graceful dance
amidst falling leaves and giants
who misinterpret your performance.
III. Worm
The garden boasts pink peonies
and red tulips because you
swim in the dark dirt beneath them
aimlessly driven by not one,
not two, but five small machines
each one with a steady beat
enclosed in slimy flesh. The accordion
pumps and pushes you up
past the roots and into the sun,
where you will shrivel under the rays.
IV. Wasp
You carry sharp hums
as you glide in the summer air.
They come from your belly,
a constant melody for the birds
to disdain. As you land
on the fallen, rotting oak tree,
it slows to a staccato
rhythm, and the fluttering of your
wings sounds like crinkling paper
wrapping around a glass trinket.
About the Author
Maria Murphy · Central Michigan University
Maria Murphy is a graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Communication and Leadership with a Creative Writing Certificate. She currently lives in Grand Rapids, MI with her fiance working in a full time administrative job at a medical device packaging company, while writing on the side. “The Smallest Hearts” was previously published in Mochila Review.
About the Artist
Natasha Hirt · Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Natasha is a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studies architecture and urban studies and planning. Her childhood in Hong Kong left her deeply inspired by the vivid ties between cities, people, and nature. In her art, she seeks to explore these connections, and in the process, highlight the surreal wonders of the world we all share. “Little Architect” first appeared in Rune.
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