love locks

a poem

love locks on the pier.

my folded arms rest on the wooden railing;

careful not to chip the peeling paint

off someone’s roughly-notched,

splintering promises.

careful not to lose myself in the deep,

peering over the edge.

how much can these old planks hold?

the sun rises in the east—

and it always seems to set on me.

chain-linked elbows

rust at the joints,

becoming weak.

i wanted to sink my toes

into the fine sands

of time with you;

to watch the babies

fill their buckets

again and again.

i could be whisked away

by wishful visions—

as soft, gentle waves

fold onto the shore;

my hands brush over pebbles

and smooth the sand,

peppered with shells

and other jagged, shiny things i used to want to keep,

but i know better now.

i know the sun will set.

i always wait for the sunset,

so i can watch the last traces of daylight

disappear.

a man squats down

to write “jackie” in the sand

inside of a heart,

and the woman standing beside him says, “i wish we could stay to watch the sunset.”

they don’t know lucky they are.

thank you for reading 🖤

em

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