The Pyre
Jalyssa Groom



I've held a fist full of money for 17 years, 363 days. It is a dead bird, the lightest ton I've ever cupped in my palm. My mother screams into the abyss of her iPhone. My father stands at the end of the street, holding out his arm, a single feather between the tip of his finger and thumbnail. He motions me close. Mother pulls me back from the shirt collar she bought for me when I cried. Push. Pull. Back. Forth. The center burns a bonfire of leaflets. Smoke rises like uncaged birds.

About the author:
Jalyssa Groom studies Digital Media Art in Los Angeles. Her favorite animals are cats, despite being severely allergic to them. Her Meyers-Briggs' type is INFP.