You were whiskey after a year of

AA meetings— I cashed in my

Chips; I bet on black, on love

A drug I needed to try

Deep in my bloodstream you found a home

A needle, a fix, a desperate addiction

I built us a nest, you wanted to roam

I was unaware of the friction

Early one morning I found the bed cold

The sun beating down on my face

There was nothing left to hold

A shadow was left in your place

e.v.e. (Letters to my love)

Crabapple Flowers

Washington, April 26 2023 Photos Mary Howerton

—LOVE DISORDERS AND OTHER OLD HEARTACHES, by Ashe Vernon