My therapist
wants me to write a love letter
to the girl I was
when I was a kid
I take out a pen
and promise myself
I can do it this time
but all I see
is a girl in a glass coffin
who knows exactly how
to fold her hands
she knows that becoming dead
is the only way to stay alive
she knows that topsoil
can't hide a body's history
for too long
dusk comes
she finally emerges
walks up to me
takes my hand and pulls me
through a dark hallway
towards my old bedroom
I can't promise her
I can stay long
but I can look for a brief moment
I scrawl on the wall
"you will survive this"
but I am not sure
she believes me
I have one foot out the door
but she grabs my hand
and draws a map
of the galaxy on the wall
and whispers to me
"I'll meet you there"
Originally published in Gunpowder Press
Love Letter by Connie Post | Garden Lavender Poetry Reed Diffuser Set
Connie Post’s work has appeared in Calyx, Slipstream, Comstock Review, 2 River, American Journal of Poetry, River Styx, Spoon River Poetry Review, Pedestal Magazine, Spillway and Verse Daily. Her poetry awards include the Caesura award, Liakoura award, and the Crab Creek Poetry Award. Her full-length collections include Floodwater, Prime Meridian and Between Twilight. Between Twilight (NYQ Books) was a finalist in the 2023 Best Book Awards and the International book award. Her 2023 chapbook, Broken Metronome (Glass Lyre Press) was a finalist for six book awards and won the American Fiction award (chapbook) and the NYC Big Book Award.
