Michelle Malis

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Michelle Malis is our Sunday Showcase this week! Her poem “From M” grapples with the complex feelings love brings up — a perfect read before Valentine’s Day.  You can find another poem by Michelle, Line 34, in our second issue. 

Michelle is a young poet who moved to Jerusalem from Moscow with a passion for social justice and a deep concern for current affairs. Growing up in an international community, Michelle has always been aware of the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape the world around her. This has inspired her to use her writing to explore the moral dilemmas and personal challenges that she sees in the world today. As a biomedicine student at The Hebrew University, Michelle is deeply committed to advancing the health and well-being of others. She has always been drawn to the intersection of science and humanity, and she believes that her poetry can help to bridge the gap between the two. Whether she is writing about the struggles of marginalized communities, the impact of political conflict or the complexities of personal identity, Michelle’s poetry is always grounded in a deep concern for social justice and a commitment to making the world a better place.

From M

 – Michelle Malis

you’re breaking my heart, again, and i’m letting you. 

darling, darling, walk into the sunday afternoon like you didn’t just say that, let me trace your face with my unworthy palm. if only you’d been different, 

and i, too, not a vessel of shame, but a vessel of love like a jar of lemon jam in saint tropez, or, 

or a cup of chocolate in venice. let’s take a walk on the street like nothing 

is gone. like we didn’t do this ourselves, i am the maker 

of my own destruction. i cradled love in my soft arms and strangled it, too. i watch you go again against the sounds of waves and i say, 

please. i wasn’t supposed to be the kind of person someone leaves, darling, 

and you poured me a glass of champagne and i saw in the edge of your shoulders the word, 

gone. it is summer again and again and again and what a cruel joke that is. kiss me in the dark, begone 

by morning, fine, take what you will and run with it. just don’t 

walk away slowly into the blue evening, just don’t 

walk away slowly, you say, 

darling, and i say, 

stay, and you say, 

darling, and i say..