by Liana Kapelke-Dale
Being with you is like trying to keep up with a rocket.
I can fly pretty well,
but you’re fire-powered.
You exhale ranunculus blossoms
which I gather to line up in a row on your windowsill,
eventually making a pyramid
of little ranunculus cheerleaders.
When I’m not with you, grounded,
I’m forced to slow down,
not as hard as it has been with others,
but I have to keep remembering
to bring myself back
to center
over and over again—blindfolded—
relying on only my sense of touch
and the moon’s upward pull.
Together, you and I are ranunculus and rose,
shooting up quickly through the fresh earth,
roots entwined.
Apart, I learn slowly
to balance, blind,
on only one leg.
***
Liana Kapelke-Dale (she/her) is a queer poet, mixed-media artist, ATA Certified Translator (Spanish to English), and non-practicing attorney. She is the author of the full-length collection Seeking the Pink (Kelsay Books) as well as two poetry chapbooks. Her poetry has been featured in myriad journals. Liana lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her lovely pointer-hound mix, Poet.
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