Underground

Ashley Pearson

pedigree lost to the

dirt of the earth

staring east

at the start of winter

warm in western terracotta

growing older

now scrounged and simmered

claim me in the

middle of the cold december

and g(r)aze upon me

by the morning sun

Ashley Pearson is a sophomore majoring in Creative Writing and Biochemistry following the Pre-Med/Pre-Dental route at Knox College. She is 19 years old. She divides her time between Monmouth and Galesburg Illinois. Ashley can be found on Instagram @ashleynicolewrites and on Twitter @ashley­_writes. Her work can be found in Catch Magazine, Ice Lolly Review, The Global Youth Review, The Hearth Magazine, BlueThings Zine, Paper Crane Journal, Oye Drum, Down in the Dirt, Unapologetic Zine, SouthChild Lit, and Melbourne Culture Corner.