poetry — December 2024
Corrupted Elegy
By N. Ashcroft
I built a cathedral from deleted files
and prayed to the error messages
that flickered like candles
in the dark of a dead hard drive.
The congregation was all the things
I meant to say but didn't send.
Drafts. Unsaved documents.
The last paragraph of a letter
I wrote to you the night you left
and then selected all
and held delete
until the cursor blinked alone
in the clean white nothing.
404: the person you were looking for
has been moved or no longer exists.
I keep refreshing anyway.
I keep refreshing anyway.
I keep refreshing anyway.