Hey, do you have a tampon?
So I may plug away life.
To still the movement of the deep waters;
Wade in the water, yet again.
To cease birth of a new day,
And ingredients of the old.
Forthcoming of destiny,
A tall-tale, never to give breath.
To force the ancient ocean still,
contain the rising story,
seal the whispers of the blood-
this mess, vital truth
corked for a clean, dry beginning,
a surface where no wildness grows.
The cost: a silent weight,
carried deep,
the body's vault now holding
a destiny unspoken,
a tale hidden from the light.
no, bleed on.
Lauren E. Brown
Lauren Brown is a Senior English major with a concentration in secondary education at Stephen F. Austin State University. She specializes in writing about being; the art of being human and the awkward white noise that comes with growing up and creating boundaries. Lauren believes that poetry is more than a hobby; it is a way of appreciating and experiencing humanity. Lauren’s work has previously been published in the SFA literary journal, HUMID, #TeenWritersProject Quarterly Lit Zine (Summer 2024 issue), Wingless Dreamer, and University of Texas’ literary journal Hothouse. Lauren is currently a Semi-Finalist for the National Amateur Poetry Competition. She is also an active member of Sigma Tau Delta.