by Janelle Cordero

Bob fell off the wagon again. We talked about it
no more than an hour ago. Now, we’re in the front yard
on this sunny day in January and Bob’s wife comes
outside. I’m leaving him, she says. How are you,
we say. I’m wonderful now that I’m leaving him,
she says. Let us know if you need any help, we say.
What does that mean? Nothing can be helped, not now.
They’ve been together a long time, Bob and his wife.
And all we know of their love is how far ahead of him
she always walks, and how she never looks back,
even when he stumbles, even when he falls.

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Janelle Cordero is an interdisciplinary artist and educator living in the seventh most hipster city in the U.S. Her writing has been published in dozens of literary journals, including Harpur Palate, Hobart and The Louisville Review, while her paintings have been featured in venues throughout the Pacific Northwest. Janelle is the author of three books of poetry: Many Types of Wildflowers (V.A. Press, 2020), Woke to Birds (V.A. Press, 2019) and Two Cups of Tomatoes (P.W.P. Press, 2015). Stay connected with Janelle's work at www.janellecordero.com.