This piece was first published in Quarto’s 2023 Spring Print Edition.
Illustration by Kaavya Gnanam
muddy raindrops swallow
their pride single spaced
on the pavement
aquamarine and tired
distant enough from tomorrow
close enough to spiral
stuck between vanity
and the gum underneath
your seat on the train
tell me a secret
don’t act like
you mean it
i am good at enough
public transportation
cooking brussel sprouts sex
just nothing casual
and i’ve got a real knack
for enthusiasm, yeah!
my handwriting’s bad
but i look alright in blue
it’s been a while
since I left home
without my keys without
my sanity and honestly
it’s not about me it’s about
honey on the subway
seats and kisses in the
new york aquarium
miss me it’s a button
on your favorite band
the guys who know
how every word is destined
to taste a little handsy on
the waist hasty but not unstable
no I am able to find
my way back now thanks
something (no one) tells me
you know how this works
right? yeah. i want you
to know me like you think
you do twist off the top
peer into what’s ready to be yours
you’re a drag you’re a doll
i am nothing without my linens
hooking up before my hair
dries and you cry until laundry day
singing swinging ringing
out of time
Trey Purves (he/him) is a sophomore at Columbia College. He misses his dog back in North Carolina, likes the icees that are blue, and really wants to go to the beach.