Dust to Dust

Ekaterina Rybakova

It was when I saw the dust

That all the lights awakened.

Shining through this glassy veil

Igniting waves of change.

Swirling through an endless space

Creating dazzling patterns.

Like diamonds in the wind

Converging to form brilliance

From which comes an explosion Of

bunnies dancing through the air.

They paint the place anew,

The birth of a new world

In which sparkle gold and silver

Untouched by humankind.

Reserved and small as if an atom

They paint my heart anew

While clogging up my nose

With many inconveniences

That make me sneeze repeatedly

Until I laugh it off.

Hello, I am Katie Rybakova and I am a junior pursuing a Biochemistry and English major, as well as a Computer Science minor at the University of Washington. When I write I often blend my interests and perspectives on science as well as the literary world. I adore literature that blends philosophy, religion and technological advancements, as well as stories that view our world through a microscopic lens. I interpreted collisions in a more metaphorical way for this series of works.

In "Dust to Dust," I explored the microscopic view of dust through a literary perspective. My goal was to portray those mornings, or time spent in the car gazing at all the little particles as they swirl and collide as if they were performing their own little dance that none of us but them can truly comprehend. (Those times are also a funny little reminder that one must ventilate and clean their space!) I strived to capture the mesmerizing effect those particles have on me and their fluid motions.