submission by jenna kaplan 

i 
the trees in the cemetery are weeping today 
pink blossoms like plump lips fall from their branches 
i probe each fleshy flower with my index finger 
raising their petals to my mouth in hopes that one of them will match the feeling of your kiss 
glorious, soft and tender 
each one more divine than the last 
yet none are the perfect puzzle piece to your memory. 

ii 
i wonder what we looked like to the angels above 
when our limbs were hot 
intertwined beneath the sheets. 
babes of white with hot blushed cheeks 
no ones ever clung to me so tight 
i thought my lungs might pop like a balloon. 
you’d have to scrape up all the discarded pieces and stick me back together with sellotape 
my mind ceased to rest 
eyes waltzing behind curtained lids 
the after show lay in my dreams

Jenna Kaplan is a 25 year old actor and writer living in Canada. Her writing reflects her tenderest of feelings, both beautiful and grotesque. Her writing has been published by Coven Editions in 2021 and 2022. She has performed her poetry live at Queer Voices, Brewers Bar, and at Concordia University. She believes her words are most powerful when spoken from her heart. Her words are meant to exist off the page. She is a reiki master, food lover, and star gazer. She strives to connect intimately with everyone she meets.