by Erin Jameieson
we exchange
careful words
orchestrated for
a dance of beauty
& hollow echoes
the nights our bodies did not know
the moonlight or the sun, only the heat
of being loved & loving in a desolate place
of shadows & broken sidewalks & lonely shops
shuttered away, relics of our youth where we met
& bought root beer candy cane sticks, as if that sweetness
would last
long as we need
there’s no hurry
in parting
for a final time
___
Erin Jamieson (she/her) holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University. Her writing has been published in over eighty literary magazines, including a Pushcart Prize nomination. She is the author of a poetry collection (Clothesline, NiftyLit, Feb 2023). Twitter: @erin_simmer