The stone cold hour
had never felt so hollow
until it became the reach
that bridged summer into fall
And the hour hadn’t seemed so full
until I cranked the gear
and shifted my foot farther up the gas pedal
pressing my foot harder to the floor
I glanced into the rearview mirror
and did I not clearly see
how far the hour lingered behind
unwilling to cradle me any longer
the hour
that strangled my dog in the middle of the night
I saw a shift in my smile and a heart that no longer pounced on the little things
youth had fled out the window twenty miles back
And that little girl
it’s been a while since the mirror reflected one
Erika Haxton is a hardworking 3rd-year English major at Trent University who has a profound interest in the arts, and in particular, creative writing. Within her work, she portrays different topics through imaginative, elusive imagery that extends off the page and becomes something vivid for the reader. She takes inspiration from the mundane within everyday life, as well as other inspirations like Ocean Vuong, Lana Del Ray, and Clarice Lispector. Erika uses writing as a way to understand life and all the complications that it brings, while presenting it in a way that is more fitting to all.
Featured image by Robin Edqvist on Unsplash.
