A Postcard

i noticed        a glitch                         in the matrix

it happened               while you were

 

sleeping                     a quick burst                the air

outside                                  warping

like                            melted glass

 

the greeks said                       that the world

is a shadow    on a cave wall

the blurred silhouette            of the real thing

 

we are not     blind just         sheltered

 

a few years ago          a man               entered the movie theater

pointed a gun        at the first row        and fired     until     the credits rolled

 

 

the man         on the screen   points the gun  at the camera

i stare down   the barrel         wondering if i will not die

but instead                wake up                       in a different body

 

maybe the one                       standing                       backlit             in a cave

 

if i do,                        promise            to visit

enter cautiously         and pull the curtain     behind you

we have not   seen light         in a few years

and our pupils                       need time         to adjust

CAROLINE TSAI is a senior in high school. Her writing has been published in The Best Teen Writing Anthology of 2014, The Best Teen Writing Anthology of 2015, Crack the Spine, and is forthcoming in Polyphony H.S. and Vademecum. She is a Review Editor for The Adroit Journal, and has been recognized by the Foyle Young Poets of the Year and the Scholastic Writing Awards. This summer, she attended the Kenyon Review Young Writers’ Workshop and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio. She also participated in the Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship. Caroline enjoys NPR, school newspaper, and traveling. Next fall, she plans to attend Harvard University.