patrick von michael
Blue steps
The men who swam
Under the earth
And climbed the waves,
Their blue concrete steps
Who kissed
On cresting hills
Who rattled
Like rainsticks
Bodies folded in
And out
Lovingly hewn
From hope
Arms thrown up
Like ladders
Unfolding
As the sun dropped
Like soluble
Vitamin C
Fizzing
At the bottom
Of
A Glass
Canyon.
Patrick Von Michael (he/him) is a writer and visual artist living in Newham, London. His poetry appeared in Gatherzine and Zimmer magazine in 2025. Themes in Von Michael's work include mental health, the queer body, alternative masculinities and the fractured family. Find him on Instagram either @pvmwords or @patrickvonmichael