"Overgrowth" by Larissa Monique Hauck
Ode to Alone by Amber Watson
I miss you, quiet stillness,
the one who listens best.
The house is full
of distractions, constant
whir of bodies with wants
and needs more pressing
than my own, and just when I think
you’ve vanished forever, I find you
waiting as I drag the slumped shape
of the day’s waste down to the curb.
The door closes, muffles the string of voices
and glaring lights from inside and I remember
what it’s like to feel free within your shadow.
I inhale to make room in my ribs for your emptiness,
linger with this longing for less—just me
and you, alone, beneath a half-moon’s halo.
Noiseless night air, thank you
for nothing.
the one who listens best.
The house is full
of distractions, constant
whir of bodies with wants
and needs more pressing
than my own, and just when I think
you’ve vanished forever, I find you
waiting as I drag the slumped shape
of the day’s waste down to the curb.
The door closes, muffles the string of voices
and glaring lights from inside and I remember
what it’s like to feel free within your shadow.
I inhale to make room in my ribs for your emptiness,
linger with this longing for less—just me
and you, alone, beneath a half-moon’s halo.
Noiseless night air, thank you
for nothing.
Amber Watson is a poet, freelance writer, food blogger, and a foster and adoptive parent residing in Durham, NC with her husband, spunky teenager, and beloved rescue animals. Her poetry has recently appeared in Constellations, Ligeia, and Seaborne Magazine. Visit her website amberwatson.net and follow on social media @awatsonwrites.
Larissa Monique Hauck is a queer visual artist who graduated from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2014, where she received a BFA with Distinction. Her artwork has been featured in multiple regional and national group exhibitions as well as a growing number of international exhibitions. She has been selected for inclusion in events such as Nextfest 2018 (Edmonton, AB), Nuit Rose 2016 (Toronto, ON), and the 9th Annual New York City Poetry Festival 2019 (New York, US). Her drawings and paintings have also been featured in publications such as Creative Quarterly (US), Wotisart Magazine (UK), Minerva Rising (US), and various others.
