Safety
The last 20 minutes of the sky and its letting go of the sun/ the weight of dog’s paws, how he sniffs out the sickness in me and tries to push it away with company/ the sound of rain at night through an open window/ how you watch me when you make the joke because my reaction is the only one that hits you right/ a hand tracing patterns on my back, on my wrist, the back of my neck/ the shiver of warmth against goosebumped skin/ an empty plane of sand and the sound of the sea’s gentle greeting and leaving, over and over again/ the way you always have the right words/ the way you use them/ the way you know how much they mean to me/ mum’s humming in the kitchen/ the smell of red peppers/ the way you call yourself home like you know it’s the only one I’ve ever known/ notes played on strings by someone I love/ your voice when you say “I knew you were going to say that”/ the small victories of light and love/ when something stays after I name it mine
7/30. Prompt-Write a list poem about what makes you feel safe
