“Proof of Life” by Maria Gray
Proof of Life
Hey you! Run fast, the old world is behind
us. Every grocery list devolves into
another eulogy, especially
this time of year, when the sky renews its
natural shock of blue for the first time in
months. An earthquake hit New York last week and
I stood in the doorframe thinking of the
big one, who to take with me when it comes.
“Desire” comes from Latin: desidus, or
“away from a star.” All hair is dead by
the time we see it. The stars have no proof
of life but smolder regardless, maggots
feasting on the sky’s vast corpse, and like them
you were science before you were fiction.
Maria Gray is an Oregonian poet in New York who supports the Palestinian liberation struggle. Her work is forthcoming from or published by ONLY POEMS, Best New Poets, underblong, @grieftolight on Instagram, and others, and she has previously been nominated for inclusion in Best of the Net and Best Spiritual Literature. She is the recipient of honors and fellowships from Bates College, New York University, and others. In 2024, she was named as a Djanikian Scholars semifinalist by The Adroit Journal and longlisted for both Nine Syllables Press' annual chapbook contest and ONLY POEMS' Poet of the Year Prize. She edits COUNTERCLOCK Journal, coordinates the National Student Poets Program, and may or may not be banned indefinitely from the NYU campus under threat of arrest. She invites you to commit and recommit yourself to the Palestinian liberation struggle each day.
