A grilled cheese cut diagonally, dipped into

a creamy tomato basil soup, scalding the roof

of my mouth. Tulips in shades of sunsets blooming

and marking the beginning of spring.

Dancing to my favorite happy-beat-sad-lyrics

song in my fancy lace underwear behind

a locked door. Fuzzy socks. A cat purring

in my lap. Stretching my legs after a long

car ride or a nap I said I wasn’t going to take.

Sriracha on and in anything and everything:

ramen, cheese grits, pickles – all things you swore

wouldn’t taste good but now ask for sriracha

with when you come over. The warm sand

scorching my toes on Tybee Island. Laughing

so hard I snort, which makes me laugh harder.

A half-drunk vodka cran, the ice diluting the cheap

alcohol. The way my boobs look fuller when I’m

on my period (and getting off of my period). Cracking

the spine of a paperback book. A salt lamp scaring

the dark away so I can sleep. You washing my hair

with gentle fingers, then brushing it after our shower.

Sharp eyeliner wings that took too many tries to make

even and made me run late. Sleeping in on a Saturday

in September, the warm Autumn sun welcoming

my face to the start of the day. Hello Kitty,

and all the shirts and stuffed animals and figurines

you knew I had to have when you saw them.

Dresses: that hug my curves, that are long and flow

in the wind, that poof out and make me feel

like a princess. Following the call to create,

even when I doubt my own abilities.

Fruity sweet perfume. Hummingbirds, and how

they’ll hover around your head if you sit close to

their feeder. Watching movies that are objectively

bad, but you enjoy them anyways. Not throwing up

on the Marta before a concert. Ribbons as shoelaces

in my beat-up Converse that I wear every day.

Drunk karaoke with my best friend, not caring if

the people walking in the hallway hear us wailing

old Taylor Swift songs. Long acrylic nails clacking

on my phone screen. Watching the rain. Jumping

in puddles. Happy Meals with extra fries. Putting lotion

on my freshly shaven legs. A lit candle. Holding hands

under the table while we eat chicken and cheese

taquitos that just came out of the air fryer. An iced chai

with vanilla syrup, or raspberry if I’m feeling

particularly adventurous. Running into an old friend,

rediscovering an old band, wearing my dad’s old t-shirt.

Making wishes on dandelions, even when my mom

told me not to. Polaroid pictures on the wall.

Animal Crossing on the switch, with my favorite

pink squirrel villager being excited to see me.

An oversized sweatshirt keeping me warm as I walk

to class. A cold Dr. Pepper with cream soda.