Poem
Michele Lent Hirsch is a poet and journalist whose
work has appeared in The Atlantic, Rattle, Bellevue
Literary Review, Room, Canary, Psychology Today, and
elsewhere. When friends or strangers ask her about
her grapheme-color synaesthesia, she’s always happy to
describe both the science and the sensation of it.
Giving Directions in the City
West of here. That’s what
people say when they
want to sound romantic, when
they want to sound Manifest,
when they’re on Lexington
talking about Broadway.
But I’m not cardinal—
I'm no compass rose.
I say To the right of the man who
looks like his head hurts or
Past that toddler with
the wild green laugh.
I don’t need these poles or
their magnets or this map
or that sign. Just that
face, that loud-soft face,
quivering in the right direction.
Illustration
Victoria Highet is a 20-year-old psychology student
from Australia. She loves cats, donuts and spending
her spare time creating detailed illustrations. Her
work is inspired by beauty, nature and whimsy.