Last Day

Katrina Kaye

The clay we are molded
in will not harden. We
are not meant to last.

Even as we lay in post
coital glory, the tremble
still in my legs, the sweat
clinging to our bodies,
even now, we know
this is the end.

A moment shared, in all
its precious give and take,
touch and toss, comfort and
cross, is just a temporary
slip of the sun across sky.

Hold my body to yours, let
the sweat dry and consciousness
return to our extremities
let the sun fall on our last
day of summer. My dearest friend.

“Last Day” is previously published in Saturday’s Sirens (2020).

Are we not

Katrina Kaye

at times
so desperate for

meaning

we look for it
in every facet from
cloud formations
to green traffic lights

are we not
so eager for

direction

we read every passing
mile marker aloud
yet we are no longer
taught cartography
nor the reason for the craft

we have learned patience
but never told
what we are waiting for

we are told
to hold our breath
but never the reason
for ceasing to inhale

in the clouds
I see everything from
dragons to seashells
to angry faces in mid scream

some nights I drive
watching the countdown
of miles as I get closer
and closer to an unknown

destination

I hold my breath and watch
the clock to see how
much patience I have
and I question

are we not
all questioning

purpose

without any faith of finding
true answers

“Are we not” is previously published in Verse Virtal (2023).

Collection

Katrina Kaye

A collection of moments:

Fireflies twinkle again mountain side
near a river in North Carolina.

The heat got to me, leaving me sick
and dizzy after only two hours on the road.

Rain falling on the windshield blurring the
view of the highway. A moment of panic.

Falling asleep in a ray of sunshine that
sneaks through dingy window.

Coffee stains on white shirts, forgotten names
of relatives, pink lipstick on front teeth.

The time on the California Highway when the fog
handicapped my eyes with a sheet of white.

I thought it was the end until I saw the brake
lights pierce the mist.

Do the clouds have so much power
they can make a lazy mind time travel

to a place of yellow and orange and gold
where the sun is not kept from my skin?

A hastily written confession in
the form of a letter, never acknowledged.

Music in the morning air from a bird
who sits upon wires singing songs of gratitude.

Have I done enough to be awarded
a simple life?

“Collection” is previously published in Verse Vital (2023).