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a journal of contemporary politics, culture, and Jewish affairs at Columbia University
//creative//
Spring 2020
Picture

Olivia Luther

bones to blood and it drips,
a gifted sternum,
each rib of this cage pulled, torn,
shattered and pried;
i am blood and flesh.

extract tibula, fibula,
any appendage, this moveable sack
and sacks, shake hands with skeleton,
my secret reflection
that escapes the confines of skin
to offer a velocity of breath.

convinced of the ecstasy in violence,
there is dismantling:
my organs contracting,
skin collapsing at my feet.
yet hands wash clean what is my body
while in desperate retreat:
stilted upright
propped up by my bones.
still i will reach inside,
​
bare hands, and yank out
all i can bear, to say i birthed this:
absolute. unconditional.​​
​

//OLIVIA LUTHER is a sophomore at Columbia College. She can be reached at oml2107@columbia.edu.
Contact us: editors.columbiacurrent@gmail.com