Karen Horeth is an Ontario poet and secondary school English teacher and distance runner. She lives with her husband and two children in a small town near London, Ontario. Her work has appeared in several Canadian literary magazines, including Wascana Review, Pagitica, Room of One's Own, The Harpweaver, Qwerty, and <stonestone>. "Want" was previously published in Green's Magazine.

Monday's Poem

© Karen Horeth




Want

I want to keep your prickly late afternoon
cheeks in my palms, I want kisses so weightless they fly up
like loose feathers escaped from my pillow,
I want a taste of evaporated
sweat on your temples, I want to rejoice
your chocolate eyes in words so clear and strong
you'll weep, I want to fill my eyes with your tipped
smile, swirl your fawn hair with my fingertips,
I want to bury my nose in your chest, soft nest
where wisps of cologne linger; I want to slip
into your cuddle, snuggle against your snuggle,
receive the gifts your body gives:
swim through your warmth
to find you again
and again.