Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
January
It was the year of the unannounced arrival.
The year my fingers felt made to drag tracks
through your hair, to brush beneath your collar,
gentle as an eyelash. The year I’d wait all night
for your hands to trace the length of my shoulders
as we hugged goodbye. The year of the dog walk,
the milkshake, the long shower. The year I’d ride
my bike all day going nowhere. It was the year
of the broken seatbelt, the lock that just wouldn’t
click. It was the year of the reckless passenger.
The year you surprised me by opening my door.
The year I found you waiting in the darkened frame
of my door. The year you walked thru the open mouth
of my door. It was the year you said, I remember.
The year you said, I always remember when a girl
says she likes something. It was the year I became
that girl.
CRISTIN O'KEEFE APTOWICZ is the author of five books of poetry and one book of nonfiction. Her poetry has appeared in PANK, Rattle, Conduit, Gulf Coast, La Petite Zine, decomP, kill author, Brusque and Muzzle, among others. Her recent awards include the ArtsEdge Writer-In-Residency at the University of Pennsylvania (2010-2011), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry (2011) and the Amy Clampitt Residency (2013). Her sixth book of poetry, The Year of No Mistakes, will be released by Write Bloody Publishing in Fall 2013 and her second book of nonfiction, Curiosity: Thomas Dent Mütter and the Dawn of Modern Medicine, will be released by Penguin’s Gotham Books in Fall 2014.. For more information, please visit her website at www.aptowicz.com.
Return to May 2013 Edition
It was the year of the unannounced arrival.
The year my fingers felt made to drag tracks
through your hair, to brush beneath your collar,
gentle as an eyelash. The year I’d wait all night
for your hands to trace the length of my shoulders
as we hugged goodbye. The year of the dog walk,
the milkshake, the long shower. The year I’d ride
my bike all day going nowhere. It was the year
of the broken seatbelt, the lock that just wouldn’t
click. It was the year of the reckless passenger.
The year you surprised me by opening my door.
The year I found you waiting in the darkened frame
of my door. The year you walked thru the open mouth
of my door. It was the year you said, I remember.
The year you said, I always remember when a girl
says she likes something. It was the year I became
that girl.
CRISTIN O'KEEFE APTOWICZ is the author of five books of poetry and one book of nonfiction. Her poetry has appeared in PANK, Rattle, Conduit, Gulf Coast, La Petite Zine, decomP, kill author, Brusque and Muzzle, among others. Her recent awards include the ArtsEdge Writer-In-Residency at the University of Pennsylvania (2010-2011), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry (2011) and the Amy Clampitt Residency (2013). Her sixth book of poetry, The Year of No Mistakes, will be released by Write Bloody Publishing in Fall 2013 and her second book of nonfiction, Curiosity: Thomas Dent Mütter and the Dawn of Modern Medicine, will be released by Penguin’s Gotham Books in Fall 2014.. For more information, please visit her website at www.aptowicz.com.
Return to May 2013 Edition