FINALIST in the Charles Simic Tribute Contest
Left and right on the streets,
my paychecks flying about
the symbol of the expense
to love.
I marvel at the power
of my lateness,
the world’s illumination
or twilight left in my palms.
The joys of evening are
in a capsule to swallow
as I waltz across this dark street.
This has left me to wonder
if the power is held in the hands
of the food chain’s bottom.
I look up at streetlights
left empty by my care
and wonder if they prefer the dark.
Emily Jarecke is a young writer from the Cleveland area. She has self-published two fantasy novels, The Holder of Wind And Lightning (2021) and Where Adriel Went (2022) and served on the autumn teen editor’s board for Lake Erie Ink. Her work can be found in a few different local anthologies, such as Auroras & Blossoms and the annual LEI spring anthologies. In her free time, Emily enjoys listening to old dad rock music and reading poetry collections.
"We could have danced all night, New Years Eve, Formal Dancers in Neon, crowd with cocktails, Rain City, New Years Needle, street scene, Fremont, Seattle, Washington, USA" by Wonderlane is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
