written by Nick Badot. Nicolas is an Irish-Belgian writer of fiction and poetry currently living in the Balkans. His poetry has appeared in The Provenance Journal and Rabble Review, and his short fiction has appeared or is upcoming in 7th Circle Pyrite and the SciPhi Journal. He has a penchant for all things speculative, macabre and fantastical. He is currently drafting a novel about endless towers and the ruins of cities in the desert.
we learned
how to breathe
under asphalt,
our lungs
concrete-heavy,
strained
to heave up
the girders.
under the world
these bronchioles
are Atlas,
these breaths
Legion.
beneath milky-stained
carcinogenic freeways
bulldozers pass
on the surface,
surfing
on our breaths.
Image: Study of a Man nr.1 by Laima Grasmane. Laima is a passionate textile artist who loves to express herself with bright colors, not only through fiber art but also through painting. She is inspired by Latvian culture and mentality, music and magic. In art, she pays attention to qualities such as joy of life and wit. Her main love is for tapestry, but she likes to create all sorts of textile art, like tufting, embroidery and knitting.
