i did
but what if
i didn't say hello
because i lacked the courage
and you left, laughing
in some other woman's arms
that cold December night
when i saw you at the bar
do you remember
i melted
like the ice in your bourbon
you kept looking my way
patiently waiting
eyes glittering hungrily
And i could see
you wanted me
instead of her
I smile nervously
but
i still don't know
how do i get you alone
how do i say hello
from across the room
I feel you stare
the question hanging in the air
what if
About the Creator
Sara Little
Writer and high school English teacher seeking to empower and inspire young creatives, especially of the LGBTQIA+ community
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The Prayer of Khaled Joudeh, Age 9
Upon returning to school after the start of the New Year, I assigned my 10th grade students a reflection project in which they had to choose an image from the New York Times "Year in Pictures - 2023" and write a short poem that conveys the emotions and elements of the photo. I usually complete the assignments alongside my students, especially I am asking them to be vulnerable in their work. So, I began scrolling through the photos posted on the NYT website. When I got to the month of October, the intensity of the images increased exponentially as the majority of the photos were of the brutality of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. One image in particular cut my heart the deepest: A young boy in the Gaza Strip reaching to touch the cold forehead of his 8-month old baby sister as she lay wrapped in a blood-stained shroud. Samar Abu Elouf, an award-winning photojournalist for the New York Times, had taken the photo. She also had spoken to the boy and found out that his baby sister had been killed during an Israeli airstrike that had obliterated the building in which her family was sheltering. In addition to the loss of his sister, the boy's mother, father, and older brother also perished in the attack. As I gazed at the tragic scene, I heard the prayer of the young boy, now an orphan. A prayer and a lullaby wrapped in the salt of his grief.
By Sara Little4 months ago in Poets
Comments (1)
I especially liked the reading in reverse, as it ends on that wistful note when you realise she didn’t talk to her and it’s too late. In the first reading then, is she with the girl but musing on what might have happened had she not talked to her? “ i melted like the ice in your bourbon” is a great line 👏 Nicely done Sara!