A poem from issue 03 of To The People, a zine by YTTP Studios
fingers crossed your phone survives this love
by Demeter Appel-Riehle
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my friends hold me with hands like stars
sew a heartline across the countryÂ
bury it inÂ
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a you got this in the groupchat
no, really, have a bite of my food on the lunchbreak
here, let me pull up your birth chart
did you know all cancer risings’ mouths look the same?
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whisper care into everyÂ
breath like honeysuckle
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from the passenger seat in a car on the 405
to a text thread with a home still in iowa
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i want my fire to be soft enoughÂ
to fit in a forever stamp
to package for them & sendÂ
across the country to sootheÂ
a scalding headline, a bitter evening
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to cup the grief
i cannot ladle outÂ
of my own stomach
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to write one good poemÂ
for every heartbeat i can hear
in the other room
when it’s too hard to write ofÂ
anything else
but the click of pipes turning on & a roaring wave &
sorrow
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when hope goes out like a limelight
& my mind goes out for a walk so long
i think it will never come backÂ
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i remember the sweetness only we can touch
brittle & blazing
and still warm enough to survive this year
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a promise to drink more water
listen to more music
sing louder
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to love hard enough to keep breathing
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