i don’t need to burn sage in here
i want to dance with the ghosts
of who we were in the past
i’ll dance with past you real slow
& i will resist the urge to reach in for a kiss
this would happen in our old school gym
or the hallways that we walked in side by side
remember that?
when we were young & barely scratched the surface
of our feelings for each other
i was too caught up in people that didn’t love me
& you were too caught in the idea that
i didn’t really love you
so now i’m slow dancing with our ghosts
whispering in your non corporeal ear
i love you , i love you, i always have
& ghost you whispers back an i know
Vanessa Maki is a queer writer & artist. She's full of black girl magic. Her work has appeared or will appear in many places. She's founder/EIC of rose quartz journal, interview editor for TFP, columnist for terse journal & reg contributor for Vessel Press. Her chapbook social media isn’t what’s killed me will be published by Vessel Press in 2019.
ISSUE TWENTY: RS: Steamy, y'all
Vanessa Maki
dance with ghosts
David Joez Villaverde
The Things We Did Right
Linda Wojtowick
Reset
Private Account
Claire Scott
Voice Control
Courtney LeBlanc
Mood
R.A. Allen
Buried Alive