​attachment issues

By Adesina Brown

i smooth over your indentation in my bed,
not knowing it would be the only evidence
that you loved me—gave the impression of loving me

when you asked if i was okay and for a kiss goodnight,
just before you shifted gears and decided
you prefer my needs obscured by distance

or rather entwined with yours. we had our first fight only hours
before you discovered another leak in the roof of your car
and mold in the upholstery, and i thought it your punishment
​
for making me love you, even when i shouldn’t have.

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Adesina Brown (they/them) is a queer, non-binary author and poet who centers QTPOC in all their work. Their poetry has been previously published in Minola Review, Exposition Review, Rigorous Magazine, and more. "Where the Rain Cannot Reach" is their debut novel. To learn and read more, please visit adesinabrown.com