I am grateful to the editors of After Hours: A Journal of Chicago Writing and Art for publishing my poem “Waking Up Together” in Issue #25. After Hours is a semi-annual literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, art, and photography from Chicago area writers and artists. Having spent some of my most formative years in Chicago, it’s an honor to be a contributor. This journal is print-only, and you can order a copy by following the instructions under “back issues” here.
Waking up Together
Barely awake, we float
across our bed like clouds
over undulating dunes
and valleys of lush loam.
Sleep-mist lifts over parched lips,
and our feet move like nomads
toward the warmth of each other.
Our most secret places
have buried their keys
inside the swirls of our fingerprints,
and we slip into each other’s hands
promising suggestions—
unopened letters carried by envoys
returning to their homeland.