18

Once this week:
See friends after a long stretch
A stranger followed me
The blare of four firetrucks didn't wake me

Twice this week:
Walked long distances for lack of money
Fell asleep with the light on
Had to be very quiet

Three times this week:
Overslept by 20 minutes
Drank a beer
The blue light on dark curtains

Every day hand in hand and head to cheek
Not second-guessing, deep exhale, sleep

-KM

over the week, passed quickly

while the weekend passed slowly

and i dreamed of a big room

in a big house with stairs and windows

i woke up on the seventh day

next to you and i didn't feel tired.

i cooked dinner for a family

for two nights, we sat around a white table.

over the week my thoughts scattered

and i reminded myself:

don't worry, clear your mind

and spent time with my art and my friends

i walked around and then to

all the important parts of my life.

-Hannah

17

Living a life of productivity
Making plans, always looking forward
Spending every moment efficiently
Passion and persistence driving pursuits

Living day to day, floating aimlessly
Never straying far from the familiar
No ambition, no focus, no progress
Wasted minutes, wasted days, wasted years

The balance in between these two extremes
Staying within walls or knocking them down
Being on, on, on or let life lead you
Sometimes it is good to give up control

Every day passes regardless of you
A life spent trying, a life spent in bed
Just records of time.

-KM

The way hair drys in the wind

as if there is nothing but cold

and in two months the earth will

start to heat up

first asparagus will rise but

i won't see it

then the frogs will come out

but i won't hear them

in the river the ice will break

and flow down stream

past the long thin tall rocks

to the big drop off

but for now body condenses

and it's hard to breathe.

-Hannah

16

my grandfather was both tall and strict

he did not alter his habits to young children

dinners of asparagus and boiled eggs

but sometimes mussels or lobsters or little steamer clams

in the mornings baileys with jam

and pulling up rocks from the wall

to look for newts or in the field in between the mountains

to catch butterflies and grasshoppers with wings

in the town over the bridge of flowers

my mother would stop to tell us about some flower

or the reason for some herb but we would want to hurry to

climb down the stairs and jump

the whole family would be down there with the dam for the river

and in between water and smoothly rounded rocks
-Hannah

in corridors neatly-spaced seats stand close
fluorescent lights overhead flickering
stale air cycles through large overhead vents

leafing through pages, words begin to blur
rows of faces, each with eyes (none I know)
bags tucked under seats, idle hands fidget
heads tilt up, impatient to move along

inclined to panic, inclined with closed eyes
the pain of pressure, engines drown out sounds
drifting through thoughts, hours pass by slowly
so many paths meet to share in waiting

orange and white flicker miles away
lights grow smaller as the world grows bigger
-KM

15

it's nice to wake up to you missing me
it's good to take a walk in the morning
and it feels nice when it's warm in winter
so my coat hangs off my arms and open

it's important to take care of yourself
that means eating good foods
and folding clean laundry for shelves
clearing sides and collecting dust

it feels good to have people
to count on
to sit in the same rooms
or to drink cups of water

to tell words
in the first week of the new year
-Hannah

I inherited traits from my mother:
Nervous laughs, nail-biting, story-telling
Hair turning grey at a premature age
A need for everything to be perfect

Alone I sit, looking out my window
The moon rises as the sun sinks beneath buildings
In three minutes it makes its full ascent
Heavy and full, sitting low in the sky

Meeting new people, missing those back home
Still there's sweetness in returning to places
Visited in the past (so different then)
Time sneaks by and suddenly years have past

20 years have past since first visiting
I thought so much would have happened by now
-KM

14

It all began in January

very drunk on the sidewalk

beer hidden in the snow

took three photos (12AM)

April, soak peas, asparagus

and hauled out old dressers

in the front yard crushing

phlox to raise the beds

Other months: June

a commitment, a compromise

get freckles, get older, July

September, decide to stay.

last night with small plastic cups

and walking home with you (2012)

-Hannah

One year ago waking to tall ceilings
Windows filled with that big blue empty sky
From the floor, stretching shoulder to shoulder
Quiet walk down essex street

The year before snow covered the ground
From across the path watching
You laid on your back, staring at the sky
Singing

Echoing through buildings
Walking closely to keep warm
Into rooms under lights
Hold each other tight

The steam whistles billow white
Playing slightly out of tune

-KM