Roseanna Alice Boswell
On Seeing a Man Open-Carry Into An Ice Cream Shop
It’s almost like love
the way he cradles it
to his hip. I can easily
imagine a thigh here:
the way he might pull tender
skin over denim & leather.
Who is he looking to unlonely
with his swagger & metal.
What is he hoping to find.
A casual drift of hand
to holster & on to his wallet.
I hate admitting I’m afraid
but I’m always afraid
of men. & this man is so
forgettable. I already don’t
know his face. If pressed,
wouldn’t be able to provide
any details. Well, Officer,
he looked exactly like you. Clean
-cut & white. Thumbing a belt loop.
This man is just getting some
ice cream on a Sunday.
Probably nothing more,
although I can’t unsee
the jealous way he holds the door
open. His hip swaying
to let the gun in ahead of him.
I’ve had enough dates to know
he’s here for a good time,
or a long time, or else.
Roseanna Alice Boswell is the author of Hiding in a Thimble (Haverthorn Press, 2021) and Imitating Light (Iron Horse Literary Review, 2021). A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, Roseanna holds an MFA from Bowling Green State University and is a Ph.D. student in English-Creative Writing at Oklahoma State University. Her work has appeared in: RHINO, Whiskey Island, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, and elsewhere. Originally from upstate New York, Roseanna currently haunts the Oklahoma prairies with her husband and their cats, Bean and Blossom.
Return to March 2023 Edition
It’s almost like love
the way he cradles it
to his hip. I can easily
imagine a thigh here:
the way he might pull tender
skin over denim & leather.
Who is he looking to unlonely
with his swagger & metal.
What is he hoping to find.
A casual drift of hand
to holster & on to his wallet.
I hate admitting I’m afraid
but I’m always afraid
of men. & this man is so
forgettable. I already don’t
know his face. If pressed,
wouldn’t be able to provide
any details. Well, Officer,
he looked exactly like you. Clean
-cut & white. Thumbing a belt loop.
This man is just getting some
ice cream on a Sunday.
Probably nothing more,
although I can’t unsee
the jealous way he holds the door
open. His hip swaying
to let the gun in ahead of him.
I’ve had enough dates to know
he’s here for a good time,
or a long time, or else.
Roseanna Alice Boswell is the author of Hiding in a Thimble (Haverthorn Press, 2021) and Imitating Light (Iron Horse Literary Review, 2021). A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, Roseanna holds an MFA from Bowling Green State University and is a Ph.D. student in English-Creative Writing at Oklahoma State University. Her work has appeared in: RHINO, Whiskey Island, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, and elsewhere. Originally from upstate New York, Roseanna currently haunts the Oklahoma prairies with her husband and their cats, Bean and Blossom.
Return to March 2023 Edition