A Change in Season

Graphic by Cole Lachowicz

Thoughts | Mikayla Reitsma

Leaves fall off the trees, and wind blows under your shirt.

Be reminded of the apple orchard no longer in reach. 

You haven’t been on a hayride since you were 16.

Decide you need to change.

Walk to the 7/11. 

Pretend you can’t hear the man sitting outside,

As change rattles in your pocket.

Stop in for gummies and a lighter.

A dimly lit alleyway brings you home. Unease dries your throat,

But still curse the neighbors who peer out their windows.

Stay stagnant and continue to

Hate the person you’ve become.

Make overcooked pasta and eat it on the couch. 

Wash it down with gummies and regret.

When was the last time you called Dad? 

It gnaws at you like a whine in your ears. 

Take a desperate visit home. 

Gaze lovingly into your dog’s cataracts.

Notice his newfound attachment to the T-shirts you left behind, and

Tell him to wait until Christmas, at least.

Sit but don’t speak in the living room after dinner.

The food your mom made with affection feels heavy in your stomach.

Out the window, the sun sets behind empty tree branches,

As their leaves decompose in the grass.