Calico Frost

she came up behind me one day & tapped me on the shoulder

i spun on my heel, unsteady, a dumb american consistently

ashamed of my language

she pointed at my face and drew a heart in the air with her thumbs

I don't read the Bible. I lie a lot, tell people I've read Genesis--can one even read Genesis? The beginning of things, written--but I've really just perused it.

i bought pumpkin pie lip balm that tasted like

fall in california

even though i'm in new hampshire

and the leaves are curling. 

the lights in sephora were sickly bright

like the lights

We,

The writers

The comedians

The storytellers

The artists.

We’re the ones who move forward.

We’re further than we were hundreds of years ago,

Yes,

But.

We’re not done.

when the time comes

i am not ready.

as in,

the ground beneath me is still dew-soft with summer

and i am just barely stretching awake

to a morning not yet frosted over. they grab my stem

I remember when I used to

be the favorite.

The one that brought

comfort and support.

The one she would never let go.

She took me everywhere-

school, practices, birthday parties.

I saw it all.