Poem by Rylie Waterbury 

Art by Justin Bissonette 

January was a still month.

I recall the smell of vodka sauce.

The wind nips hard this time of winter.

I hated February.

I felt no love.

At least it’s short.

March was the devil on my shoulder.

All was lost and it was still so dark

You seemed like some sort of angel.

April bloomed,

doesn’t it always?

I laugh like I used to.

I denied it was because of you.

The sun melted through the frost as if to revive me.

May was warm.

I remember sweet tea and saying goodbye.

It was bittersweet.

If only we had more time.

In June, I started to fear Friday’s.

The weekend would haunt me and the ghost from your past

would laugh in my face.

I never thought you could do that.

I’m not just afraid of Friday’s anymore,

Thursday’s and Saturday’s tend to scare me too.

July was kind to me.

The rhode island waves and

The smell of lobster tails kept me sane.

My heart was warm and so was the air.

I was hopeful with you, it made things serene.

August was a second chance.

Maybe a couple of second chances.

The breeze still made me smile but my eyes

Were more teary than usual.

Endings usually come in August anyway.

September I left my fate to the stars.

The open windows and the orange hue.

I really hope the universe loves me as much as I think it does.

October was cold,

Colder than before.

You were slipping and I was longing

For something I can’t quite put into words.

How does this always happen?

It’s November now.

You told me we could talk when I come home.

If that promise vanishes with the rest of them,

I may need to end it at November.