rose quartz magazine
BRINGING SHIP TO SHORE
Scars splattered across my skin like stars
Following unknown orbits, constructing unknown constellations
That she traces with her tongue,
Up and down in unsteady waves.
Here is the rolling tide of hips and hands.
She is a sailor.
She learned to sail by following the stars
And the rocking ocean currents.
She learned to push through the foaming whitecaps.
She knows how to pull into shore.
She breathes deeply and licks the salt from her teeth
Until all I see are sea and stars
And we are soaked in sea spray.
DUET
Breath,
Then pulse,
Then breath again.
I swear I can feel her heart beneath
My hand, squeezing around my fingers.
I swear I feel her teeth graze against
My jaw, leaving a slick trail.
She teaches me the one-two rhythm
And the music of uniting,
One body,
One breath,
Two brains.
We make a lovely duet,
Perfectly in tune.
She guides my hands along the bowstrings,
Teaching me to quirk my fingers just so
To coax forward sweet notes.
Our bed is a concert hall,
And I play to the last note.
Samantha Godwin
Samantha Godwin is an out lesbian who is working towards a Master's degree in Professional Writing.