perhappened mag
issue 3: HEATWAVE
the sun, a pilot light
RACHEL STEMPEL & STEPHEN PISANI
1.
in the middle of the warmest winter on record,
the ladybugs took over the whole house. they could
be found in the bathroom in all three bedrooms in the kitchen in the crack
between the oven and the counter, marching
through the foyer single-file. they
resisted collecting, their sweat-slimed bodies slipped
through fingers
slid
from open palms.
when they gathered on the patio for some sun, i locked the doors behind them and peeked
at the sky. i waited
for snow to cover them. maybe next winter.
2.
killing ladybugs in high humidity—maybe they see
my open mouth as oasis
like asphalt’s phantom water.
maybe i suckle sugar cubes
for this reason. the box fan blows smoke
in all directions & i become the only habitable thing.
the ladybugs manifest confetti-like
across the south-facing windowsill. city summers
keep everyone just on the cusp
of a cooldown wading firecracker, fast fingers, faster jaw.
on the north side, a pigeon mother turns
her emerald neck from her newborn, cooing.
city summer sounds all sound
desperate.
in the middle of the warmest winter on record,
the ladybugs took over the whole house. they could
be found in the bathroom in all three bedrooms in the kitchen in the crack
between the oven and the counter, marching
through the foyer single-file. they
resisted collecting, their sweat-slimed bodies slipped
through fingers
slid
from open palms.
when they gathered on the patio for some sun, i locked the doors behind them and peeked
at the sky. i waited
for snow to cover them. maybe next winter.
2.
killing ladybugs in high humidity—maybe they see
my open mouth as oasis
like asphalt’s phantom water.
maybe i suckle sugar cubes
for this reason. the box fan blows smoke
in all directions & i become the only habitable thing.
the ladybugs manifest confetti-like
across the south-facing windowsill. city summers
keep everyone just on the cusp
of a cooldown wading firecracker, fast fingers, faster jaw.
on the north side, a pigeon mother turns
her emerald neck from her newborn, cooing.
city summer sounds all sound
desperate.
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Rachel Stempel (she/they) is a queer Jewish poet and MFA candidate at Adelphi University. She’s a staff writer at Up the Staircase Quarterly and EX/POST MAGAZINE. Her work has been recognized by her nemesis, Billy Collins, and can be found in New Delta Review, The Nasiona, SPORAZINE, and elsewhere. She currently LARPs as a Long Island townie.
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Stephen Pisani (he/him) is an MFA candidate in fiction at Adelphi University. His work has appeared in the Under Review, Light Poetry Magazine, and elsewhere. He doesn't have to LARP as a Long Island townie; he's the real deal.
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