rewind. take me back.
back to the summer—
back to—this heart is
jammed, one second.
there we go: play. keep
going. the world won’t
wait for me if i’ve lost
my way in the past. i
want two sugars in my
coffee. my barista nods.
he has familiar eyes.
rewind. take me back.
back to the summer that
tasted like maraschino
cherries and chocolate.
take me back. back to
him. he smells flowers
and champagne when i
hug him. pause. what am
i doing? i promised i’d
forget it. play, keep going.
i pay and touch my lips
to the paper cup. i do not
look at my barista in the
eyes again. hot coffee
scrapes my throat raw.
rewind. take me back.
take me back to him.