Saffron City Press

Shelby Hartness

Half Moon Bay, California

reflected orange light off
irises there is cereal
on the counter the dog drinks
& i walk tall to steer noise
off the bed

Gia in the kitchen with her
legs bare setting records
a silvered color dripping
off the deck

would i walk into her
studio watch her feet hang
loose & steady almost
not noticing the bison
behind her head

i turn around to face
the rocks of New Mexico
she places the heel of her palm
on my forehead breathe
she pressed each finger
i did what she said

sometimes i feel more vocal
when i let the room fill
jealous with silence
i like the air prescient
touched by nobody yet

Shelby Hartness is a writer and poet from Half Moon Bay, CA. Her work appears in D Magazine, SPECTRA, des pair quarterly, passerby, and The Skirt Chronicles, among others. She is a MFA Candidate in poetry at St. Mary’s College of California.