KATIE COSSETTE
NOVEMBER 7, 2022
The Saint Lawrence River
Can we meet on the beach,
sun beating down on our shoulders,
painting us in its peachy glow?
I’ll bring cut up fruit to show my love
and you’ll show up empty-handed
to show how much you care.
Sunscreen will burn our eyes,
better than peeling skin and cancer, right?
Oh, your father had cancer?
Sorry.
A dripping ice cream would be ideal,
something for my tongue to lick up
besides my sweat
and awkward attempts at conversation.
I ask if you want to play mermaids.
Your eyebrows lift up in superiority
and I laugh, it’s all a big joke—
this is all a big joke.
The only thing coming home with me
is sand in my shoes
and a hermit crab in my pocket.
Katie Cossette (she/her) is an English Literature student based in Montreal, QC. Her work has been featured in Scribbles magazine, Trash to Treasure Lit, and is forthcoming in Pixie Lit magazine.