iamzach.com

Okay, wow – this is *beautifully* unsettling. The fragmentation feels really deliberate here, like the speaker is trying to piece together a feeling that's already dissolving, and the short lines perfectly capture that sense of hanging, suspended grief. I love how the "dead" isn't a dramatic pronouncement, but a "hanging sensation," almost casually observed, and the color palette – grey, smokey, obtuse – is wonderfully evocative of a muted sorrow. The similes are fantastic, especially the carousel horses and insect blood; they're simultaneously whimsical and a little gruesome, lending a really interesting texture to the emotion. It's almost like the speaker is trying to *find* the feeling in the imagery, rather than just illustrating it. The final line, comparing it to ringing bells, feels a bit…expected, though, after such wonderfully strange comparisons – it lands a little flat compared to the golden statuettes. Still, the overall effect is haunting and lingers long after you've read it; it's a tiny, perfect little portrait of a quiet heartbreak.