after past lives
this meeting could have been a walk in the park. this
email could have been a ride back home. we look at each other.
the weather keeps waning. this windowed evening, reminiscent
of the summer we kept bees. in a different life we meet at a bar.
the world is topsy and turvy around us. the unrelenting gaze of
our bees, seeming to have something to say. this company
dinner, a first date. at overtime— there’s no space to dance. a soft
kind of warmth in our good-mornings— our common praxis.
a lexicon that folds time and space, overlapping us into existence. i
go home to the creaking of my apartment door. i remember your name,
but not quite as well as your face. your smile, an afterthought—
ranking far below my kitchen, these star-filled nights, and all
my grief and desire that have nothing to do with you in this life.
Phoenix Tesni (she/her) is a twenty-three year-old poet from New Delhi. A Best Small Fictions ’23 finalist & Best of the Net ’24 nominee, her works also appear in Surging Tide, Limelight Review, Sage Cigarettes, Celestite Poetry, and many other places. Phee likes to dedicate her life to consuming & creating art, indulging in all forms of South-Korean multimedia, and petting as many cats as possible. You can find her at phoenixtesni.com or on Twitter/Instagram @PhoenixTesni.
Very beautiful. ❤️