by Jana Astanov
featured image: Astanov’s self-portrait as a Dragon Bride
DRAGONITE INVADERS
Spring—green soft light
her dragon bag spills the scents of woodlands
as she walks along McCarren Park
city creatures fall for her
in a reverie of true wilderness
where crocuses split the silence
where the river sings
unfurling
she leads them to the rock
with one swift rotation
her black denim jacket unravels the eclipse portal
to be swallowed or to stay
to be loved or to fade into a beautiful dream come false
Spring—ice blue skies
Equinox dragonite invaders
bring frost
encrusting eggshells
with their lore
for the beings to be hatched eternal
The rest of us
intoxicated
by earthly tones
cedar
destiny
jasmine
lily of the valley
fate and pine
Awaits another rotation
March 23, 2025
Williamsburg between two eclipses and a parade of 6 planets in the constellation of Pisces.
With Astraes’s Sound Gode, a ritual object from Astraea’s Second Coming, wood, yarn, reclaimed wood, fire pyre in the background awaiting the night.
Jana Astanov is an interdisciplinary artist and writer born in Poland’s Masurian Lake District and currently based in the U.S. She is the author of five poetry collections—Antidivine, Norther Grimoire, Sublunar, The Pillow Book of Burg, and Birds of Equinox. Her upcoming collection, Avant-Garden, will be published by Red Temple Press in 2025, followed by her memoir, Sex and Psychedelics, set for release with Inner Traditions in 2026. Follow her on IG @Jana_Astanov
