I did not ask for the elegiac lament Of amorous longings or immutable learnings For who am I to know the contours and claws tearing the comforter, Dizzy dancing dissolves my breath I lean into the balcony’s edge Rocked by your fables Tenderly, tenderly.
Tenderly By Amelia Macapia
The remorse of Aeneas’ oath, sickly sweet Shared bath towels bloom in hooked corners Chamomile and sacrament I hear the sentiment You said you meant— You said you meant— Amidst cologne pillows I drowse in cumulus restlessness Unspeaking kisses in unmade bedrooms Silent movie dreams chain ivory to horn Lovingly, lovingly. Dido, storm-tossed, cradles me I lean into the balcony’s edge, tremblingly Ensnared in judicial judgments Have I come too late? And who am I to adjudicate I heard the claws ring on kitchen tile-ways. I woke and went for a walk Past the stadium lights Past the moon waxing warm Past the little alabaster statues Past a lost journal found Past broken bridges, roadblocks This sign means stop Only why don’t you know, why don’t you?
DESIGN BY HAMI TRINH, ART BY ETHAN LEBLANC
NOVEMBER 7, 2022 TUFTS OBSERVER 19
