By Nicole Cleary
The smoke in my lungs
makes me feel whole again.
The burn at the back of my throat
Reminds me I am fragile
Like the frost spread across my window
Reminds me I can break
And scatter along the freeway.
I like to watch the cigarette burn
Hear it sizzle as it consumes itself,
As it consumes us both.
Nicole Cleary is a queer poet from New Jersey currently residing in the hills of Tennessee. She once enjoyed long walks on the beach and now enjoys listening to the cows in the early morning.