I am not watermelon. Or an interstate weigh station, semi-truck trailers lined up to perform their mandated duties.
Writing by Julie Allyn Johnson
Art by Katy Somerville
Manifesto
I am unsharp. I cut through steel as if it were butter. I am everything and I am nothing at all. I’m the colors chartreuse and lavender and poppyseed. I run. I walk. I can both slither and crawl. I dream of soaring, arms outstretched before me, as in a dream. I’m a bird in flight. I have wings!
I am fearful and I exude courage. I see every little thing. I grasp nothing that is not planted within the dark periphery of my mortal vision.
I am the late-afternoon light on an apple-crisp October day. I am the glitter of sunshine on an early-leafing birch. I am male cardinal plumage, the pleasing tones of a cowbird’s brown head crowning its sleek black avian package. I am the thrill of discovering a walking stick exploring the world of a whiskey barrel potted with red geraniums. I am the glad-handed jubilation of unexpected surprise.
I am not watermelon. Or an interstate weigh station, semi-truck trailers lined up to perform their mandated duties. Neither am I twin-bladed skates cutting into thick January ice. I won’t ever lead a charge into battle and it’s impossible to believe I might ever change the world.
But, perhaps, I can try.
About the Author
Julie Allyn Johnson is a sawyer’s daughter from the American Midwest whose current obsession is tackling the rough and tumble sport of quilting and the accumulation of fabric. Her poetry can be found in Star*Line, The Briar Cliff Review, Phantom Kangaroo, Haven Speculative, Penumbric Speculative Fiction, Coffin Bell, The Lake, Chestnut Review and other journals.
About the Artist
Katy Somerville was beamed into existence on a Monday night in the mid-eighties by stars, glitter, and a glorious Italian woman from a long line of very strong women. In the present timeline, she likes to drink coffee, pat any animal that will engage with her, make collages, and spend time laughing and finding moments of joy wherever she can with her partner and her goofy, lanky dog.
Katy is Cream Scene co-editor & Art Director
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