A Monument I Never Asked to Live Beside
By Rebecca Dietrich
I try to forget you
in the quiet corners of my life,
but your shadow stretches wide—
a monument I never asked to live beside.
Strangers call you brilliant,
their eyes shining with admiration,
while I carry the weight of knowing
the cracks beneath your gleaming surface.
Rebecca Dietrich is a poet and photographer from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her debut collection "Under the Stars of Turtle Island" was published by Wayfarer Books in 2025. Dietrich’s poetry has been featured in Red Coyote, Havik, Welter, Steam Ticket, and elsewhere. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University. You can follow her on Instagram @limericks_and_asphodels