YOU ARE HERE — hooligan mag

by Rachael Crosbie

after Eden Lake

1. EDEN LAKE

this lake sponged glass suns
still young
waters stung in all ways warm
pearl-light lunged to him
to me pouring slow
and sweet

2. REDCOT VILLAGE: their house

they speared caged animals and yelled in

beach quarry yellow
beerstained teeth yellow
smeared grief yellow

when we slinked in their house that lowed in

vintage loud yellow
driedpage porn yellow
singed skin yellow

a body owed as frothed fire spoke

3. NATURE HIDE

in here, I held him—I really held him—so close that we reached into a realm, a vision followed by
ghost roads. and before it vanished in the dying light, he promised we could hide in between this
mirage and breathing. he promised me the end of the night that swells in black blood. he promised a
sunrise flooding and bright and alive. he promised—

the wood soured and splintered. we broke in cold waters, soaking up a sky with no moon, our
bodies floating and gibbous. and still, he promised—

4. REDCOT VILLAGE: their bathroom

the harsh glow from headlights through glass block windows
clothed me for a moment when the color of dead
straw, sunflowers, and wheat tossed around walls
as the bulb flickered

my reflection skittering
across a sink full of sterile water and beer bottles,
a medicine cabinet mirror where my eyes bleared
the same red as an arcade seer, and I stood there cloaked in quiet.

5. EDEN LAKE

this lake sponged mapped blood
still numb
waters stung in all ways wrong
spurred light sprung in him
in me decomposing
hope and