November

Taylor Woodworth

Shortly after the geese fly south

and the Jack O’Lantern smile

melts into a grimace,

darkness begins to infect.

Spreading like fog over a

desolate graveyard,

the night cloaks

the cityscape

and I lay sleepless.

Between the unfinished

tasks of the day and

the sound of midnight scraping

my name into a lone headstone,

I’m afraid the only

dream-like state I will inhabit

is the all too familiar

4am delirium.

My monochromatic days consist

of searching for the

REM cycle on the washing machine

and endless hours

of sitcom laugh tracks

that giggle at me every time

I stumble walking up the stairs.

Every hour I sink a little

deeper into my memory

foam mattress,

and hope that the sun will come

to rescue me from dusk.

Taylor Woodworth (Writer)

My name is Taylor, I’m 17 and this spring term is my third term at pcc. I graduated from Cleveland high school in 2021 as a junior. I’ve lived in Portland my whole life, but hope to venture elsewhere in the coming years. I wrote these poems last fall for a poetry class. I find myself having so much to say but not knowing how to say it, so I like to build pictures with words to organize my thoughts. That is the best way I can think to describe my work. In my free time I enjoy playing and listening to music, and casual ghost hunting.

Morgan Belden (Artist)

I'm currently a Sophomore at Portland Community College completing an associates of arts degree. I am an aspiring writer, a collector, and a lover of art. I am also a cat mom of two lovely mixed Siamese sisters.