Observe how he
presses his hand on
her lower back,
guiding her through
their shared workspace.
See how she hands him
her tattered sweater and
he stops shivering,
even though
it’s filled with holes.
If you squint,
you can see it in him,
carrying her
bobby pins in the front pocket
of his shirt at a party
while she dances
with someone else.
Think about these things.
Feel their weight:
the gentle palm,
the striped sweater,
the copper pins.
Feel their weight
and know:
Love is not things,
you do not carry it with you.
Still, find this
secondhand embrace in
the memorabilia of
someone else’s love.
James Bowie High School
11