twentysomethings collab poems

untitled

nearly five years ago he asked
if i liked to lose myself in the
middle of some certain fervor;
cut to a subway jump and a 
hitch in my breath and today
burns as bright as tomorrow 
once did on the undersides
of my tired eyelids 

there wasn’t much to remember
i am always thinking the best of
the worst elements and wishing 
what served me then would be 
enough today. the parity of the
two cats i shared beds and men 
with over the course of a year were 
stronger metaphors than their love

what conceit can we come up with
to fossilize frisson, to preserve the
feeling of maybe it will be good 
so it will last against the hard sun
of age and the unfair twist of grief
which rings our bedroom like a
coffee stain, like a black slug,
impermeable as your breath 

by ellie musgrave