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The Author of Light
Shahrzad Taavoni
On this birthday,
she had 97 candles—
bright fizzles of amber light.
She blew out exploding orange bubbles
on a whipped cream cake
with lemon filling
surrounded by a large circle of applause.
She housed a ravenous library
where she gravitated to the precise volume
that matched her earrings:
pearls, tiny mirrors, silver metals
that caught the light
like a million-cut diamond
reciting shapeshifting stories
that changed with the sun’s moods.
Her eyes were still astute—
deciphering different shapes
from the ant colony words.
But her mind was Swiss cheese hollows.
What she forgot
was that she was reading
her own authored books.
A broken record
repeating the sentences of her soul.
Pulled to her light
behind lace curtains.
About the author
Shahrzad Taavoni is a writer, artist, and acupuncturist pursuing an MFA in creative writing at the University of Baltimore. She holds degrees in psychology, acupuncture, and herbology. Her hobbies include daydreaming, playing peekaboo with her cat, and writing while on the elliptical. Her work has been featured in the California Quarterly, Persian Heritage Magazine, Soul Forte Journal, Amethyst Review, and Loch Raven Review, among many others. She has also served as a reader for Honeycomb Literary Press and as the poetry editor for Welter Literary Journal. Connect with Shahrzad on Instagram and Facebook @shahrzadtaavoni or visit her online at ScentOfLight.com.