Taylor Eskridge, a recent high-school graduate, was raised in the city of Seattle. The evergreen state of Washington has left its mark on her — she finds serenity in nature and nostalgia in rainy days. In middle school, she discovered the power of poetry and has been writing ever since.
My First Love
My first love prompts a river; dreamlike and still
An uncertain calm that lasts a lifetime
How can something this tender evoke such thrill?
Anything so pure must be a dirty crime
I know the ache in my stomach never lies
It tells me I don’t deserve this.
My first love leaves a taste in my mouth
A honey-soaked lust bitter with doubt
A vibrant reminder of adolescence
And bleeding in through the edges I hear a faint voice shout
I must resist
Because my curves have resurged
And the iridescent stretch marks they carry
Tell the story of my misery.
My first love lingers despite my impurities
Humble as he questions my insecurities
I draw a blank and I catch his eyes
Which shine a sort of hazy green-blue
This is my vulnerability.
The throbbing in my belly; a damaged prize
It was the burden of my toil, a fine but sticky glue
I wonder if he can hear my internal cries
My distorted self-perception – a dangerous view.
My first love has seen all of me
My facade: insulated by glass wool
My knees: stained in chamomile tea
I’ve labored a dozen graveyard shifts
Making plea’s, sporadic weeps
Compromising plans, escaping sleep
Stripped down to the bone
And back again
Still, he thinks I’m beautiful.
From the Editor:
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