i pine for winter. everyone secluded in their own homes, streets barren the flick of snow under street lamps. no one out & about. no one nude or vulnerable. ice choking the sidewalks snowmen half built. i detest the flowering of fireworks. the slick rubbing of swim trunks. sand castles. the churn of old grass. neighbors & bonfires. front doors kept open. lakes being free & alive. the color green. the heat. pop-up ice cream shops & water guns. air conditioners. kids, splashing each other at a wishing fountain. a person alone at night along the side of a road, blonde hair swaying in the breeze.
Lukas Ray Hall, born & raised near the Twin Cities, holds an MFA from Pacific University. His debut collection, loudest when startled, will be published by YesYes Books in 2020. His poems have appeared in The Florida Review, Moon City Review, Atlanta Review & Raleigh Review, among others. He currently lives in St. Paul, MN. Twitter, IG & FB: @lukasrayhall, lukasrayhall.com.