I Never Gave The Universe Much Thought - Giselle Tran
I never gave the universe
much thought. I never cared
about before or after or
the end or how tiny strings
bind us together like
chinese finger traps.
But out here, past Metcalf road,
the golden hills twist, tilt, and
billow in the wind as hazy
shades of pink and yellow kiss
my skin. The crickets begin
their nightly roars, and a few birds
call to each other, chirps hopping
like a child’s giggles until A and I
submit to the vast stillness of the hills.
Then: a white bird trapped
in the evening gust. Stalled, he said,
like a hang glider who dips
too close to the ground, sailing
the same speed as the breeze.
I stare, concerned until the wind
dies, and the bird shoots high into
the fading orange, victorious. My
fingertips tingle, and we exchange
the secret smiles of almost-lovers.