i know / i get it / she’s sunlight / and nutrients / and everything / good / with hair / the color of dried-out fertilizer / and i knocked you off a windowsill / once / yes / i know / she hums / soft / under her breath / and talks sweet / to you / and i don’t / have six ice cubes / like google recommends / like she pries / from freezing plastic / for you / just / water / from my bathroom sink / i’m not precise / like she is / my fingers shake / i leave the blinds / closed / or window / open / let december embed / into your aerial roots / and she’s so warm / isn’t she / and i only think / of myself / of coping / curled in a comforter / unmoving / except to shiver / but i scrambled / for your bark chips / when you fell / on the floor / remember / me / on my knees / apologizing / picking them / out / of / the / carpet / with my chewed nails / again / and again
Zoe Reay-Ellers is the proud EIC of the best dish soap-themed mag worldwide. She owns 20 plants and is currently an undergraduate student at Cornell. Her work has appeared in a number of places, including Kissing Dynamite, HAD, and Fish Barrel Review. You can find her on twitter at @zreayellers.