A Literary Magazine in Support of the Jewish Community

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"Near Miss" by Valerie Frost

Near Miss

       We swallow what we won’t say…

               —Ada Limon

though I've read long verses projected

through the tunnels of your iris: speckled

 

robin egg hue reflected off your puff

sleeve peplum protection, soaking

 

me in coast-crashing depth—like any other

cliché for passion would include,

 

day after day we snowball more near-missed

brushes after agile exchanges, then recede

 

to our distinctive status quo; comfort-zoned behind

our respective societal shoulds and obligations, tucking

 

inside hushed words restrained from view, brimming

over on occasion like collected

 

slow dripping turquoise morning dew.

Valerie Frost

Valerie Frost is a Garden State native. She lives in Central Kentucky with her three lively kiddos. Her poems have appeared in Eastern Iowa Review, ONE ART, Eunoia Review, and elsewhere.

 

 

Valerie Frost
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