Dragonfly

Katrina Kaye

you are brilliant

in the sunlight

a flourish of
wings and things

misunderstood

I am not a
playmate

I only want
to watch you
sparkle

I only want
a little bit
of your reflection

the ability
to see what
you are

I am in awe

nothing more

I tremble
and blush at
the sight of you

so quick

so colorful

“Dragonfly” is previously published in The Green Shoe Sanctuary (2022).

Collapse

Katrina Kaye

I had a poem
on my tongue
when I closed
my eyes.

It was stolen
by sleep.

A tiny collapse
of dreams
and empires,
only grand
because of its
destruction.

“Collapse” is previously published in Rabbit for Luck (2016).

Katrina Kaye

We forgot
how to touch.
Our bodies go
through the motion,
the repetition.

The pulse
and flex;

it is
too much.

It is
not enough.

You sleep
beside me,
only a
whisper away,
yet I can’t
remember
what your hands
feel like
on my body.

I like to
tell myself,
it is easy to
fall back into
place.
But these
pieces have
turned jagged,
misshaped,
rough to touch.

On nights
like this,
I prefer to
sleep alone.