almost love #1 | cait
we met in a psych hospital
i fell for her – hard
didn’t realize it
until we were strangers again
strangers who never had a chance in the first place
two fucked up teenagers
aren’t meant to fall in love
with each other,
we needed time to heal
more than we needed
some short-lived romance
i remember her still
i don’t know where
she is or what she’s doing right now
i hope she’s alive & well
i know i’m trying to be
almost love #2 | katie
you are the moon,
i told her while tipsy during finals week
when we were holding hands
for the first & the last time
i wanted to be a part of her constellation,
but the universe didn’t approve
we decided to be friends
but we were never really lovers
just two dykes with a mutual crush
we didn’t know what to do with
almost love #3 | katie jo
there could be something here
we thought (or at least i thought),
but that feeling didn’t last long.
i don’t know what we were before
we tried to be together or whatever
& i don’t know what we are now
maybe we / are / were / will be / nothing at all
Audrey Bowers is a senior creative writing major at Ball State. She loves corgis and succulents. Her poetry has been published in SoapBox Zine and she has work forthcoming in Pussy Magic, Honey & Lime Lit, and Little Lion Literary.