Exam Week We were in the middle of finals and needed a quick getaway, so we dug out our bathing suits and packed a cooler with beer and those hard chocolate chip muffins we brought back from the cafeteria. I wore a black, polka dot swimsuit that laced up the front. It was just a little tight across my tits and, for once, I had cleavage. My hair looked like Madonna’s when she did “Like A Virgin,” even though I wasn’t one. Neither was she. All afternoon, I sunned my young body on a floating dock and you swam in the lake. We thought of nothing. Not school, not exams, not the muffins, not the beer, not our families, and not our friends who didn’t know where we were. I think of that day when I feel like ending my life. I have no idea whatever happened to you and don’t even remember the last time we spoke or saw each other. All I know is that day. It happened. I remember it. All afternoon, life was lighter than it has ever been since. I could float.
Loukia Borrell is the American-born daughter of Greek-Cypriot immigrants. She is a former newspaper journalist. Her poetry has appeared in literary journals in the United States and United Kingdom, including London Grip, Cerasus Magazine, and The Bangor Literary Journal. She tweets @LoukiaBorrell and has a website, loukialoukaborrell.com.
Robin Ouzman Hislop is Editor of Poetry Life and Times at Artvilla.com ; You may visit Aquillrelle.com/Author Robin Ouzman Hislop about author & https://poetrylifeandtimes.com See Robin performing his work Performance (University of Leeds)