3rd Place Winner of the Spring Poetry Contest: I’m sorry but I got bored of the sob story - Shiloh Jordan

there’s a season for everything.

this one is beets and spinach,

white berries,

the start

of sunglasses.

I threw a beach towel on

the motel bed,

coaxed the ocean out early.

conch shells

           over both ears,

           in my mouth,

fuck.   the sand

ground

           my teeth.

I didn’t care,

I doubled down.

swallowed

hard

         swallowed

all of it.

---

SJ (they/he) is a writer, educator, & dog dad from Virginia. He has been published previously in Tupelo Quarterly. His work is focused on the interconnectedness of humans and nature, a subject which he finds endlessly fascinating. You can find him on instagram or bluesky @sj_makes_things.