“My poem From Dusk is one that I wrote for my creative writing class this semester, and it’s influenced by Richard Siken’s Scheherazade. Siken uses references to the story of Scheherazade and A Thousand and One Nights, which is where I got the inspiration for my poem.”
— SILVA

From Dusk by Sirena Silva

As the daylight begins to fade
And the bright hues of red and yellow
Become devastating shades of black and blue
My chest is filled with a thousand and one wasps

In my dream, you slip through my fingers
I grasp and grasp, coming up empty
The sands of time are moving against me

Murky waters stand between us
An unrelenting tide, harsh and frigid
Keeps me from getting to you

In my dream, the warmth of your embrace
Turns to blood and ash
The tang of copper begins to fill the air
And you fall to bits in my arms