New Beginnings
Poem
I thought I had given myself enough distance
But when the wrecking ball came around and smashed our house
The world went dark
And now
I find myself covered in ash and soot
Clinging to a seared photograph
Of an old neon sign
That you took on our trip to New Orleans
Where it rained buckets on our bike tour
Where we drank cold beers on humid nights
Where you yelled
And I cried
And Louisiana never made the list
Of the states where we made love
I look over at the rubble
And try to inhale
But my throat is clogged and choked up with debris
I spit and cough and heave
Through tears that sting and streak my face with mud
Purging the dust and taint of our remains
From my mouth, my nose, my eyes
And as my breath becomes clear
I turn my head towards the opposite horizon
Looking down the street at the rows of new beginnings
And now I stand on legs as shaky as a newborn foal
And let the photograph flutter to the ground
more by SIOBAHN HOTALING
Photograph by Alexandru Tudorache
