In the Shade

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