magic hour

I want to be between your teeth, 
not lodged in your throat. 
I want to be on the edge of swallow, 
where life stretches 
into simple shapes and colors. 
There’s a dropoff before the void. 
I want to stand on that cliff, 
where evening amplifies the rainbows 
hidden in the clouds, 
where stars are just whispers.
Between day and night 
there is an answer 
or a question
or something that holds me 
just long enough to make me feel held. 
If this is a simulation, 
that is the moment our realities 
kaleidoscope, 
just long enough for blink, 
for breath, 
before dipping into darkness. 
The chew before the gulp. 
Don’t devour me; 
savor me.
Hold me in your mouth 
so I can see out.

As published in Moonstone Arts Center’s 28th annual Poetry Ink anthology, September 2024