Candled shadows
flicker faces

on the wall,
champagne bubbles

gasp for air,
vinyl crackles

a swan song,
sandalwood cologne

lingers in rustled
sheets, dried

sunflower petals
litter the coffee

table, and breaths
try to forgive promises

that were never
meant to keep. 

EMILY TURNER is a master’s student in English at UTSA.

Cover Art: The Dream, Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, 1896, Pen and black ink over pencil (via the Getty’s Open Content Program).