story

By Adesina Brown

you fell once when you were a child,
scarred your forehead and cracked a rib,
and then got back up to play a minute later.
you chuckle now, and i look up
to find your dimpled smile.
​
that’s love,
you say.
love is just a rib
that endlessly heals
itself despite
repeated
fractures

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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