i thought i was going to projectile vomit out of the car window going 70 miles per hour on the highway pulling us deeper into the gray of rural indiana to see a college i knew i didn’t want to attend but all the same my mother insisted we still go to south bend waste a whole day of spring break on a bleak campus without friends but the night before i decided to get drunk for the first time and also to get high for the first time at the same time with friends who i don’t talk to anymore but all the same we were so happy that night eating off brand oreos while the sun set and the chemicals hit too hard in our heads we ran around the empty street performing all the school plays to flickering street lamps and when i got driven home at 10 pm because we all had curfews (i didn’t but i was scared) i told my dad i took too much cough syrup before falling up the stairs and into bed i got torn from a dream at 5 am and the one thing i could remember was the aquarium test we were sitting in that garage taking hits and someone asked me if i knew what it was i giggled and said no and then someone else asked me what my favorite sea creature is then someone else asked me what my qualifications to work at this aquarium are why am i interested in working at this aquarium and i guess the point is to see how far gone you are i guess the point is to ask without asking if your head is still above water
Anisha Narain (she/her) is a queer Tamil-American poet and creator studying computer science and creative writing at the University of Illinois. She has recently been published in Ayaskala Literary Magazine, and has work forthcoming in giallo lit. In her spare time, she likes to sing, act, and add to her collection of quirky jewelry. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @anarain00.