Snow Angels Could Last, You Know

It’s been years since we learned origami.
Things like how to fold ourselves 
into frigid palms, then undo it all. 
You are the first to sit up—
watch me laugh as January threads
feathers through my crystallizing pinions.
Winter is a five-year-old, floating, perfect.
The trees are prettier this time of year, limp— 
gowned in sweet milk stuck to our tongues. 
It’s seven minutes before you realize  
& pull me inside—layer on every coat 
in the closet & ignite a pinch of hell 
under the kettle. 

Out in our yard, the imprint is a window.
Snow fills. The distant spectacle clings 
to the heat that pools in my stomach—
trickled down my throat with a mission
to dismember wings. 

The wool shivers in your grip
as I feel my muscles start to thaw. 

Danae Younge is a 19-year-old writer whose work has appeared in over 20 publications internationally, including Salamander Magazine, Palette Point, Nonconformist Magazine, & The Curator. She proudly identifies as biracial & bisexual. She was a national winner selected by the Live Poets Society of New Jersey in 2020 & placed in the international It’s All Write competition for high schoolers. Danae is currently pursuing a BA in creative writing at Occidental College. You can read more of her work at www.danaeyounge.com & follow her on Instagram: @danae_celeste_