Paper Moon
by Atreyee Gupta
would you like tea, the white queen asks,
of course you would because I want some—
come dine with me.
we sit in the rose garden
where all the plastic flowers are painted cream
to match the queen’s robe.
you know roses
come in different colors, I say.
nonsense, she replies,
I could have you beheaded for
speaking so. Flowers are like stars, you must
manage them severely or they grow
bold.
the stars are beyond our control, I tell
the queen—who laughs.
how little you
know of life, she complains, pouring sugar into
my hands. Sweeten up, else
you’ll come to a sorry pass.
she lifts her face. how beautiful
the light! she exclaims
if only we could photosynthesize
into a planar dimension.
that’s not how synthesis
works, I argue.
so, you’re an expert are you?
she sneers, a single mingling
with royalty and you’ve become
Authority.
she kicks my chair straight
up in the air.
it’s only a paper moon,
I remind myself,
hurling closer to the silk lantern
she’s glued to the ceiling.
ABOUT THE CREATOR
Atreyee Gupta’s fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous venues including Apparition Lit, Arc Poetry, Bacopa, Mukoli, and Tahoma Literary Review. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Atreyee has also been published in several anthologies from Finishing Line Press, Owl Canyon Press, and Rusty Wheels Media. Atreyee is the creator of Bespoke Traveler, a digital alcove for curious explorers.
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