Selected poems by Maya Cheav

alchemy

lead to gold

and water to wine,

we crafted a wound around a fire,

watched it engorge,

pus, and blister.

it was heavy in its desire,

longing for something,

itching for more.

we let it fester,

let it pill,

let the wound scab and encrust.

but where we sought diamond,

were empty pockets,

for in the end

was all but dust.

triple goddess (goddess, goddess)

figure of god,

turn away from me.

do not look at me with those eyes that churn,

the twisting, round and round, it burns.

believe not the meadowlark who sits in the shade,

who bides its time, that deviled blade.

it flutters in the roundabout,

it pours a worm from out its mouth.

eye of tigron, sharpen your wings.

they sit on my fists, I cannot sing.

they say, they say, don’t go astray.

don’t slip, don’t walk across the fray.

when the axe is leveled above my head,

and the air is thick with misery,

I do not think myself one for religion,

but I pray to gods of make believe.

a flower in time

a plot of soil,

just for us.

we water it in the evenings

and pray upon its ground.

wistful magic makes the earth bloom,

mushroom circles spiral all around.

strawberry fields stretch across the vast expanse,

it's peaches and plums forever.

kissed by the sun and blessed by the earth,

good things grow from heavenly endeavors.

wings grow from my shoulders,

there is so much to be blessed for in spring.

my brothers and sisters dance at dusk

and like the meadowlark,

we sing.

About the author:

Maya Cheav is a 23-year-old Cambodian-American writer and environmental justice organizer from Southern California, as well as the author of the poetry chapbooks, LYKAIA (Bottlecap Press, 2023) and TAN’S DONUTS (Chestnut Review, 2025). Their writing has been featured in Stone of Madness, ALOCASIA, Scapegoat Review, The Weaver, Across the Margin, and elsewhere. Their work has received a Best Small Fictions Nomination. They were a top 10 finalist for the 2023 Palette Poetry Chapbook Prize, guest judged by Danez Smith, as well as a 2024 Tin House Workshop alum, under the faculty mentorship of Roy G. Guzmán. They were a 2024-2025 poet in residence with Collections of Transience. Their flash fiction is featured in the Kevin Atwater "Achilles" Literary Collection to accompany his song "Call of Duty." Read more of their work at mayacheav.com or @mayacheavwrites on Instagram.