by Claire Palmer

Claire Palmer (she/they) is a singer-songwriter from Ellington, Connecticut with a passion for poetry. She began writing and performing at 10 years old, and fell deeper in love with writing through interstate writer’s rounds. She is currently the host of Rider’s Writers Round on 107.7 The Bronc, highlighting different types of artists on campus and sharing original work.

They met me in space time,

where lightning struck the marble arch
and we were linking
red
monkeys,

from top bunk
to
bottom.
i dyed my sheets with honeysuckle
and cried about everything.

one misstep and slip right off the cliffs edge
we were
t
n a a
u i o t
o n g s
m
stepping on pebble pockmarked shoulders.

smoking out of the tin can cosmos
we were
Aluminum Soldiers.

Nose

Dripping

I rolled your window

Down

from the

Driver’s seat

and met the interstate stranger.