how fortunate am I
By Reese Bentzinger

 

how fortunate am I

to squeeze into an occupied couch
arms pressed together and legs straining out

how fortunate am I

to sip wine from a plastic cup
savoring the stains our laughter creates

how fortunate am I

to cry in the middle of the night,
find respite on reliable shoulders

how fortunate am I

to crowd Dim Sum on a coffee table
saving the last morsels for people I love

how fortunate am I

.

 

Christmas Shopping in Sol

sticky starch coats my tongue
warmth melting roasted chestnuts
oozing smoky nicotine

and burn marks from sneakers
running over snowflakes
until they turn highway gray

I should hate this place
cry over the ghoulish pageantry
of sparkling ornaments on dead evergreens

yet every winter I find warmth
between arms and the gifts they hold tight
the space where love endures through dark times

.

Reese Bentzinger is an American poet based in Madrid, Spain. Her work has been published in Livina Press, Tiger Leaping Review, and other publications.