Too Early for October \\ Stephanie Kniss

$In Your Arms \\ Joseph Whetzel Poppies \\ Brint Domangue$

Too early for october

Stephanie Kniss

The swings creaked In a steady sort of rhythm Our bare feet brushing Sticky wood chips Calluses shielding toes From too many splinters

The air was crisp with The end of summer Trees starting to shake out their hair A frosty morning Lurking around the corner

The laughter of the night Had died off hours ago The ease that was left in its wake Beginning to sour The sun was setting too quickly

An eerie quiet Felt heavy and all of a sudden Squeezing the sides of my head Like ear muffs Only then did I notice The cicadas had stopped singing