After we slung our rotten insults,
after we slammed every door,

after we clawed the headboard paint
instead of saying, sorry,

after I dropped the tea cup
just to hear something shatter,

I woke to the smell of you
making coffee.

I could already taste
the sweet cream.

There you were
in your Sunday morning smile,

the broken porcelain in the dustpan,
last night’s cruel words mopped from the floor.

You popped the bag out of the trash can
and carried it outside, where the dark clouds

threatened a storm, but elbowing its way
through the trees, there was light.

 

 

 

Lori Werner is a poet from Savannah, Georgia. She graduated from Armstrong Atlantic State University with a degree in History. Her influences are southern gothic literature, anything Americana, and Joanna Newsom.

Cassoday Harder is a twenty-year-old photographer inspired by youth, femininity, and summer. View more of her work on Flickr or visit her website.