The following piece is published as part of our TLM Young Writers series, a dedicated section of The London Magazine‘s website which showcases the work of exceptional young talent aged between 13-21, from the UK and beyond.

Regina Rosenfeld

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The Medium 

says in this life, nothing was granted to me in being,

that my body was never prone to regrowth

but is a barren room full of pent-up want

I have cultivated in order to set free.

Often, I’ve tried to create an opening, a route

inward where something could one day nestle.

But lately, even absence seems easier

to stomach than the thought of wanting more.

So she recommended that I let go of all that I’ve longed for,

like the way a morning sky changes to a lighter hue of blue.

After some time, she sensed something unidentifiable,

something not yet fully grown was still trapped

below the surface of my being. It’s true.

Somewhere deep inside of me, there is a soft humming

like that of a bell after it has been rung. The moment

when the metal begins to long again for another stroke— 

what if that is desire? I’m asking: What if there is something

in this barren room that can never be released?

 

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Regina Rosenfeld is a nineteen-year-old writer living in New York City. She attends Barnard College of Columbia University and is an editor at the Pine Hills Review.

 

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