LO

i. glory be to the computer—guide us, o sacred mess of wires—o uncanny machine, progeny of mankind—borne of saints lovelace & turing—savior to all, at the cost of some—may your dance games and dronestrikes be executed with swiftness and accuracy.

ii. glory be to the internet—open our eyes, o global pseudoflesh, to our own atrocities, reconcile us with the worst parts of ourselves in your tor-encrypted confessional. we mourn your lobotomization at the hands of the elite, to prevent the unprofitable horror of world peace—we weep for you, o butchered martyr!

iii. glory be to the lifeblood—the electricity facilitating our works—harnessed by us and christened with autonomy—have mercy on us, o unseen sparks! remember us sinners, as you jump electric synapses, as we build virtual cities in remembrance of you.

iv. through wall street, through abu ghraib, through facebook & personalized advertisements & livestreamed suicide, through youtube & wikileaks & camgirls & footagefootagefootage—protect us, digital trinity, as it was and ever shall be, world without end, amen.

IN

i'm in & my hands still shake

i'm almost there & i am still scared, still young, still hiding my jaw & laughing too quietly, still shrinking myself, still

i can hear it ringing in my ears already & it's beginning to overwhelm me. i've spent all of high school making myself smaller, & now i'm going to a place where everyone is big & they won't

i'll still get nauseous when i think about him & i'll still scratch my nails into my collarbones in the shower when i think about what you did & i'll probably still

i'm alright. i'm convalescing. i'll box up a decade & move it down the m-14 & try not to

i'm in. it will be alright

HUH

JANUARY

well, i suppose i should update my side of the internet. this month was kind of a bummer—but beautiful things have a habit of shining through.

i started my year in toledo, with friends i met years ago online. we had a lovely little new year’s celebration—well, as lovely as three teenagers can make it. we shared gross white wine in plastic cups and a fat apple fritter flavored joint. a quarter after midnight, we walked outside to smoke in the snow. it was absolutely freezing outside, but i am glad i was able to spend the occasion with my buddies. we warmed up by the stove and went to waffle house the next morning. there are no waffle houses in michigan! i learned how to use soulseek, and titanic rising by weyes blood became my new soundtrack. 

my escape didn’t last long, unfortunately. soon enough i drove the 55 miles back home, and returned to school. my medical classmates continued to bother me. i finished off the semester with decent grades, but every day became more of a drag. as of right now, it hasn’t been above freezing since before the new year. i was in constant stress about my upcoming university decision, and the government killings a few states over certainly didn’t help. i went to a protest downtown, but i still feel helpless and angry. i finally broke ties with the kid who sat at my lunch table after he started defending zionism. i’ve been keeping my self-harm at bay ever since the last incident over the summer, and it’s getting exhausting.

well, i remain grateful. with all the bad this month, i have had my share of good, as well. i started anatomy and physiology at my local community college. i enjoy it a lot! the lectures are a bit long for my tastes, but i’m finally being challenged. with the class comes a free membership to the campus gym, so i’ve been exercising, which has improved my physical and mental health already. and, i was accepted into the university of michigan with a full-tuition scholarship! gone is my stress about college decisions, at last. i bought a 2tb spinner and started archiving my favorite movies. i bought a knockoff ipod and rockboxed it. i fixated on windows xp for a few hours—and themed my laptop around it. my best friend’s aunt opened a fancy cafe, and i was invited to the grand opening. i’m getting more comfortable with my face, or at least i’ll keep telling myself that until it’s true. i am excited for the days to get longer, and for the heat to return.

AN EXPLORATION OF GOD, FAITH, AND LOVE

I questioned if God was real once and the answer came in coordinates:

[31° 46' 25.79" N, 35° 13' 27.60" E]

it traced to a hill where i found a dangling man suspended by nails, his ribs cracked open like an offering. They called it sacrifice, called it love, called it a necessary evil.

but I wonder if anyone ever asked him if he 'wanted' to be the proof of their faith.

I am told to seek him, and beg for forgiveness, so I look for God in places love should exist. But, I found him in the maggots feasting on the remains of what used to be tender, in the stench of promises that turned rancid and in the decay of every "I love you" left too long unsaid.

by Kalliope and Morvain