Riley Goldstein
Storyteller | Writer | Visionary

across the universe

This piece is inspired by the experience and perspective of having a mental health issue while being in love with somebody else. The piece, across the universe, highlights how mental health conditions impact the cognition and dialogues of a collective. 

come with me 

he says

i don't 

want to 

go out there 

the city 

is sick 

i say 

so are you 

he says

eyeing my face 

get out 

of my 

head 

or at least

stay a bit 

& he laughs 

on off 

a street light

 two flickers 

*

i have to

check in, love 

i smile 

a false sun 

i say 

don’t get sick 

please stay safe 

i will see you again soon 

+ 

another / blind lie

This piece is a powerful artistic representation of the isolation experienced by those struggling with mental health conditions such as anxiety and insomnia. Viewers can gain a deeper understanding of the emotional and psychological impact of these conditions. This piece aims to shed light on the often overlooked struggles of those facing mental health challenges and to encourage empathy and understanding within our society.

i like sitting outside with you. with you sitting outside is like star-gazing. star-gazing makes me feel less small. small is a word everyone says i am. what i am is a pin-prick in this universe of coming and going. coming and going is what you do these days. what you do these days i watch through a telescope. a telescope is an instrument that lonely people use. lonely people count satellites instead of sheep. sheep are not good enough distractions. good enough distractions are hard to come by. come by when the moon is half waning. not asleep. or awake. half waning is what i feel every day. all day. all day i stay in my head. my head is a safe place to sleep. to sleep is a star coated celing. it reminds me of paradise. starships. light & dust. summer on mars. last summer we celebrated my birthday. my birthday now smells like black opium perfume. your two-hundred-and-fifty dollars. too many light-years away. away is you catching an early flight. an early flight is a third degree burn. burning because i can’t put myself out. out like heavy dream pills and yellow xanax. xanax is a sea of clouds. clouds to get lost in. clouds to count. to count the shapes. shapes make my life worth living. living is trying to make sense of things. making sense of you is like swiping a credit card. credit cards are infinite holes. holes you find constellations in. holes to keep secrets in. holes in your teeth. your teeth are gas lamps. and lighterfluid. soot. soot in your eyes. soot in your smile. soot in space. spaces between sleep. i sleep in dark spaces. spaces that are invisible. invisible because thats how i feel. how i feel is sorry for pluto. pluto was a piece of garbage. garbage is what turns the world. the world is a scary place. a scary place is what’s left between us. 

+

hatesells 

This piece showcases the radical shifts that take place within a human being during romantic experiences as shaped by class. Topics in this piece cover a psychological perspective which explore the transformative power of romantic relationships on the human psyche. 

landing strip / shooting powder / gunshots / dazzling cars / drive thru / ins and outs / over / vacant days / dim jokes / full tables / unkept promises / cold steaks / cooked medium rare / cracked plates / a glass of red / scuff marks / deflated tires / hot-wiring a car / late again / i made soup / candles / bathtubs / gas drenched water / velvet and roses / let’s go out / big ring / on your finger / fuck me dress / Yves saint Laurent / chalice / rubies / gold tights / millions / ten fifty big ones / full lips / suit & tie / speed / an hour late / finger paint / her / field trip / empty seat / dancing / another time / over / lift off / rusty garage / clutter / shredded papers / infinite / cracked pipes / away / leather wheel / Bose audio / you made me feel / collapsing/ a dull eclipse / crystalized / red carpet / gold bars / thrashing / this atmosphere / gas giant / stranded

+

The art of floating

This piece showcase the impact of long-term insomnia on an individual's life, providing a unique perspective on the challenges of living with chronic insomnia. This thought-provoking piece delves into the impact of chronic sleeplessness on an individual's life, offering a unique perspective on the struggle of managing excessive rumination. This piece provides a poignant and thought-provoking look at the impact of insomnia on mental health.

friend says get some sleep 

when i sleep, i see a town of glass faces.

the face of invisibility is a supressed memory, 

i am walking alone to my first class, 

it is the moment i realize i will forever have a place 

in my dreams. 

friend says i thought the problem was 

that you don’t get to bed? 

how i died the first time

This poem describes the pressure to appear brave when one may have contrary emotions. The desire to feel happiness is evident in this thought-provoking poem about emotional depth. 

in certain pictures, 

the people with say-cheese-smiles are supposed to be at ease. 

in my picture,

 i am the dream i cannot get a grip on, 

i need to learn how to grant my own wishes.

                                                   i can cast that spell. 

luna

This piece showcases detachment and love where the protagonist questions connectivity within a relationship. Throughout this piece, luna, writing investigates the theme of connectivity and poses thought-provoking questions about the nature of human connections. This work aims to spark meaningful conversations and introspection about the dynamics of relationships.

& the lie is 

i believe in you 

the lie is 

i’m right there 

in your eyes 

the lie is 

where we soar 

in a fog of 

static lines 

we read 

like a forecast 

every day 

i think of you 

* 

you call me 

an eternal enigma 

to cringe at 

all the times 

i fell through 

your hands 

a beam of 

purple light 

*

last seen in

April of

 a million 

too many miles 

away from here 

a miraculous event 

This piece explores the emotional complexities of romantic relationships. This piece delves into the experience of being left behind in love, the compromises made to endure such relationships, and the portrayal of two different realities within one relationship. With a focus on personal growth and introspection, the work, a miraculous event, offers a thought-provoking exploration of the highs and lows of love. 

do you know 

what it’s like 

to stand forgotten 

at a terminal 

a child 

with no wings 

hoping to capture 

a single star 

i’m sorry i’m late, love 

with the world 

beneath my shoulders 

i say 

thirty minutes is nothing

we walk 

one girl 

& 

an astronaut 

three galaxies 

*

wanna get lunch?