Do you see me yet, my love?
Glistening before the dawn with utter
golds and umbers; a lip of magenta suspended
in disbelief, just beyond the mountain’s peak.
 
I seek you there—finally, in anticipation
and not despair. Not in disbelief or longing,
but in knowing, at long last, not if but when.
Your arms will fall around me then.
 
Do you see it yet, my love? Rippling
the waves of agony from my hair for you;
just in time to greet us both at the break of day,
when these empty times will fall away.

Erica Vanstone is a writer, poet, and mom from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her most recent poems have been included in Black Bough Poetry's Christmas-Winter Anthology, and the February 2024 Anthology from Wee Sparrow Poetry Press, "Ourselves in Rivers and Oceans." She’s had pieces in "The Thicket Magazine," "Intangible Magazine," and others. Erica’s essay about using fencing in her poetry-crafting process appeared in Chill Subs' November 2023 Write or Die Magazine, "Foil and Unfolding: Writing Poetry With a Sword," and she’s currently working on two poetry chapbooks for publishing. Learn more visiting www.ericavanstone.com and @ericajvanstone on Instagram.