On days when the sun sets before dinner, we go out onto the tracks behind our apartment and trace the silhouettes of trees against the flames of fall. Before the leaves lose their crunch from the oncoming rain, we fall amongst them with cigarettes between our lips. The red against burnt white rolling paper reminds us there is life in ruination. From our lungs to the changing leaves, nature ruminates on the process of evolution. Our parents miss us terribly. 

Vivian Tran holds degrees in Physics and Nuclear Engineering from MIT. She lives in California and sells plushies online. Her writing has been featured in Sky Island Journal and the Transactions of the American Nuclear Society.