Another Life Jordyn Baker
In a different life, we have an above ground pool We eat stone fruit and push each other off makeshift diving boards We paint the house blue and eat from ceramic plates We flood the garden because, “Daisies are weeds and we are not having that” In a different life, you’re the one who smokes I get the blonde hair, and you get the shitty lungs Purposely mispronounce words, walk the neighbors’ dogs, and people like me just as much as you In a different life, it’s not hard to love I keep my mouth closed and you miss me when I’m gone My time isn’t spent wishing I was someone else because reflections are just a side effect of having a pool In a different life, I’m spinning I’m singing myself though jagged glass, the kind joyfully broken I ease your tomorrow through verse and chord Touch is a prayer, not a promise and you’re coveting soft skin In a different life, a boy is a phantom and I see everything in you as bright colors You are what they hold under a scar when the lights turn off We swim through weeks and years and only get out to push each other back in
American Literary Magazine | 80
