"Crimson Raindrops" by Anna Martin
"Friend Request" by Connie Post
what can you do
when the guy you made out with
all through eighth grade
finds you on facebook
and asks "didn’t we go to school together"
you know it’s him
but what are you to say,
especially as you recall every dance
ending in at least forty five minutes
of deep water kissing
you wonder if he remembers
his own soft and sweating hands
that searched you
you wonder
if he remembers
how you were tempted
to go past second base that one night
after your father beat you
and you hitched a ride with a friend
it seemed like a dream
going home
remembering how
he softly touched your hidden bruises
you think about
the dark corners of the gym
littered with pieces of yourself
filled with streamers and
off center glittered letters
you remember
the way you pushed his hand away
from your pale blue bra
and whispered “no”
and then sighing in relief
that he hesitated
at all
when the guy you made out with
all through eighth grade
finds you on facebook
and asks "didn’t we go to school together"
you know it’s him
but what are you to say,
especially as you recall every dance
ending in at least forty five minutes
of deep water kissing
you wonder if he remembers
his own soft and sweating hands
that searched you
you wonder
if he remembers
how you were tempted
to go past second base that one night
after your father beat you
and you hitched a ride with a friend
it seemed like a dream
going home
remembering how
he softly touched your hidden bruises
you think about
the dark corners of the gym
littered with pieces of yourself
filled with streamers and
off center glittered letters
you remember
the way you pushed his hand away
from your pale blue bra
and whispered “no”
and then sighing in relief
that he hesitated
at all
Connie Post’s work has appeared in Calyx, Big Muddy, Comstock Review River Styx, Slipstream, Spoon River Poetry Review, Valparaiso Poetry Review and Verse Daily. Her first full length Book “Floodwater” (Glass Lyre Press 2014) won the Lyrebird Award. She is the winner of the 2016 Crab Creek Poetry Award.
Anna Martin is a digital/traditional artist, writer and photographer based out of Saint Augustine, Florida. She is an avid explorer and much of her artwork is inspired by her travels and life experiences, and she strives to capture emotions and inspire others with her work. Her work has been previously exhibited in various galleries and museums, such as the Rosenberg Gallery and the Baltimore Museum of Art, and has also been published in various art magazines such as Grub Street and Plenilune Magazine. Anna is a freelance artist, and is always looking for new work and collaborative projects. Anna also frequently works under the pseudonym Vacantia, and more of her art can be found at her online gallery: http://www.vacantia.org.
