"What makes you leave" by Erika Gill

What makes you leave

I lent him milk and honey
before I had read it myself.
Brand new, the sticker still on it,
because he was so beautiful it hurt,
and his asking had lit a fire.

He read it and then he left me.
Maybe there was a realization he found
— like how I ache now, the first read-through.

The next one who asked to borrow, I refused.
I didn’t plan to keep him,
but if poetry will make him leave
it had better be mine.

Erika gill

Erika Gill is a writer who blew into Denver, CO, by way of a flight-attendant base assignment. That didn’t last — she now works in tech. Erika grew up primarily in Victorville, CA, which is notable only in being the filming location of The Hills Have Eyes. Erika has previously written for the Los Angeles Loyolan and Westword Magazine, as well as interviews and music reviews for 303 Magazine. Her creative work is featured in Birdy Magazine and Angel City Review and is forthcoming in petrichor.

Headshot: Cesar Prieto

Photo Credit: Staff