Poem by Katie Lewington

When you do meet the one

Nobody knows how you feel
And you cannot do fuck all about that
Until you are old enough to deal with it

So in the meantime
You react to it
Screaming, whining and lashing out
This naked emotion is embarrassing
You learn to curb it
Feel nothing
And in the hormone fueled years
You cut it out on your flesh
In bed at night whilst sobbing

Learning to stay silent
On how you are feeling
Growing up and becoming independent

Feeling shunned
By the world and all of the people currently on it

Until somebody shares your bed
And listens like deafness is only a word away

Walls lower
Weapons put down
Truce
Freedom in the unburdening.

Katie Lewington loves her boyfriend, bacon sandwiches, poetry and reality TV. She is a published poet. She also writes book reviews and the odd (very odd) story, which she shares on her blog. Don’t be shy and get in touch, she likes to hear what people think about her work. Or if you have a book you think she would be interested in.

Stacy Esch lives and works in West Chester, Pennsylvania, teaching English at West Chester University. Digital art and photography are the twin passions that compete alongside her interest in writing, reading, songwriting, and gardening. She has previously published works in Ibbetson Street, Turkshead Review and wordriver literary review. She has produced cover art for chapbooks by Kenneth Pobo (Save My Place and Placemats) and her artwork is featured at Spruce Alley Press, where she published a colorful 2014 Calendar as well as distinctive illustrations for the chapbook, When The Light Turns Green.