Poetry

Ashes

By: Sofia Peralta

My fire burns down the trees so green, Ravaged, in ashes, I’ll leave.

Grass rustles beneath my heavy shoes The shamrock fields, now charred– As I run to escape the damage ensued

Gasoline tears wet the ground I pass, My guilty steps, lit matches.

Every friend, every lover I set ablaze, Lie helpless in glowing embers,

Scorched by our inevitable end.

I cannot smother the blaze of my trauma– A relentless heat, it follows

An eternal sprint from flames, so red, Away from the wreckage, my world undone– The lands I’ve left in ruins

When will I finally face the damage? How can I overcome the shame?

When will this burning finally cease? How can I learn to regrow the trees?

Author Bio

Sofia Peralta is a junior at Loyola University Chicago, studying healthcare administration, Spanish, and bioethics. Her first love is literature, and she has long been drawn to expressing abstract and complex emotions through poetry. Her work often explores themes of identity, trauma, and resilience. When not writing, Sofia enjoys visiting coffee shops, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing Stardew Valley.