Poetry, Nia Mahmud
The sun sets at midnight, great blue heron
streaks across the sky
in a blaze of star-spangled glory (he always
appears too early, a call for victory before it’s
actually here.) Water moves through the frozen creek,
the elderly couple dances
like the ship is going down with them,
someone else’s saliva is used as mouthwash
for all the day’s atrocities, and even for the old
couple, the novelty of knuckles brushing
never really leaves. Houses tumble into new
state lines or else onto melting glaciers.
Like all other impossibilities,
the night continues on. It’s only special
in the rearview mirror. The fear of sharpened teeth
lasts as long as the kiss. Dirty dishes sit in the sink
overnight because nothing about this life
is clean or free to do as it wishes. Summer only lasts
for as long as it takes to sing along to the owl’s song
who who who
would stay up for the rooster’s call when sleeping in
is easier?
Nia Mahmud is a poet, storyteller, and essayist. She is the author of the poetry collection “a complete work in progress”, which is about growth and growing up in all its nonlinear forms. In her free time, Nia can be found listening to Taylor Swift on repeat, rewriting the same essay a million times, or oversharing on the internet. Find her on Instagram at @nia.m.writer
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