Made For Her

I watch you add salt to boiling water

And feel prophecy bubble in my mouth.

I offer you the last slice of my tangerine

And know what it is to lose myself.

We laugh at a joke at the same time

As we wait for tortellini to soften

And I, too, evaporate into air.

I hold your eyes for just a little too long

Over the clicking of the stove,

I heat the last slice of bread for you

And add butter and salt.

I use the few spice jars in my cabinet to make a language

You can translate with your tongue,

So you can repeat after me —

Cinnamon–

I adore you.

Turmeric—

I’d boil my life to dust for yours.

Cocoa powder—

I was hopeless from the moment I laid eyes on you.

Salt—

Hold me in the soft space between your teeth and your cheek

And never spit me out.

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Edited by: Maia McDonald

Cover Photo Credit: Ava Emilione