an ode to the w paris
i’m in berlin
& you’re in barcelona
but the plan is
to meet in paris
and though it has been
only a week since
we’ve seen each other
i’ve got half a mind
to greet you in the lobby
of our five-star hotel
on rue meyerbeer
in the ratty shirt
that i sleep in
and the grey sweatpants
you left behind
i’ll wait for you
as the bellboy rushes
past and shuffles along
cases of louis vuitton luggage
i’ll stand under the fanciest
chandelier i can find
with my braids
hung loose at my sides
so that the first thing
you wonder
is not what we will have
for dinner
in this decadent behemoth
but rather
which is softer:
my lips
or the slip of your hand
down into my pocket
to find
the room key
Skye Jackson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work has appeared in the Delta Literary Journal, Thought Catalog and Rigorous: a journal for people of color. She has work forthcoming from the Xavier Review and New Delta Review. Her chapbook, A Faster Grave, was published by Antenna Press.