Diagnosis

ByHenry Romain

Rain begins to fall on a man lying
in the center of a yard. A young girl
spray paints a portrait onto a dumpster.
The paint stays. Something is wrong with the rain.

Wind begins to blow on a tree standing
at the edge of a graveyard. Scaffolding
collapses. A falling leaf is frozen
in midair. Something is wrong with the wind.

Sun begins to shine on an old city
that is full of graves. People start melting
into puddles. The sun turns around, goes
back. Darkness. Something is wrong with the sun.

The world says that the rain and wind and sun
are all fine. Something is wrong with the world.

Henry Romain was born in Wyoming, grew up in Iowa, and studies English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. He is currently finishing his USC degree abroad at the University of Edinburgh. You can read his Substack here and follow him on Instagram here.