SWWIM sustains and celebrates women poets by connecting creatives across generations and by curating a living archive of contemporary poetry, while solidifying Miami as a nexus for the literary arts.

Reunion

The ratio of tributes to handshakes
tipped earlier than we’d imagined

At times we say remind me
and the list of what happened

is the list of all we loved

the lake the lake the river

a Ford truck
on gravel or mud
on open road with deer
or wild turkey with Wild Turkey

the lying frozen lake

the rip-currented outlet to the lake

When it’s Oxy or tar we say sickness
and talk about times we drank with them
at bonfires by the lake
or flying down dirt roads in the back of a pick-up

What we don’t say is we could all be here
every one


Jessica L. Walsh is the author of two poetry collections, most recently The List of Last Tries, as well as two chapbooks. Her poetry can be found in Tinderbox, RHINO, Stirring, and elsewhere. She teaches at a community college outside of Chicago, where she lives with her family.

I Will Forgive

The Wish