i
our childhoods intertwine like the laces of our untied sneakers at the door. our first kiss comes on a sticky summer afternoon, insects buzzing in the tall grass waving around us. your lips are chapped and hot and taste like an orange popsicle.

at fifteen, you call my freckles the sun’s confetti and count every single one on my body as the summer sun sinks heavy below the horizon.

we become nuclear and normal, we tuck those children from our past into the archives of our hearts, bringing them out late at night, when the crickets and bullfrogs serenade us through the open windows.
ii
twin wildfires flaming out of control
the whirlwind of danger pressed close to love
your teeth sink into the soft of my thighs
i carve crescent moons into your ribs until you bleed

our love is a red flag warning we ignore,
our embers cracking open to birth the stars
that eventually crash down to earth 
to destroy this imperfect love
iii
linens flap in a gentle mountain breeze
carrying your sound to the clothesline
where i gather the freshly dyed and dried cloth;
i bury my nose in the soft fabric
let the tears come as i breathe in
the smell of my joy

you built this home with your two hands
made sure we could chase the sun
through every room
made sure the warmth hugged your tenor
with room for us to spread our individual wings

we spend our sunset dancing barefoot 
on paint splattered floors,
we count the silver in each other’s hair
and fall asleep to our reverberations
humming through every beam
triptych
after “if i had three lives” by sarah russell

iii
linens flap in a gentle mountain breeze
carrying your sound to the clothesline
where i gather the freshly dyed and dried cloth;
i bury my nose in the soft fabric
let the tears come as i breathe in
the smell of my joy

you built this home with your two hands
made sure we could chase the sun
through every room
made sure the warmth hugged your tenor
with room for us to spread our individual wings

we spend our sunset dancing barefoot
on paint splattered floors,
we count the silver in each other’s hair
and fall asleep to our reverberations
humming through every beam

-rjm
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