by Cressida Blake Roe

I hope to hear from you—not in letters ticker taping across the bottom of the TV screen since you and I know what writing a name in red means. I hope to hear from you—even if it’s just an article that reminds us of the summer when blood ran sharp between your thighs. I hope to hear from you—on a night when you drive past the bridge and don’t jump. I hope to hear from you—because hope is a kinder pain than fear. I hope to hear from you—soon.

Cressida Blake Roe is a biracial writer, whose chapbook, Grave-Maker, was awarded the 2020 jubilat chapbook prize. Her fiction can or will be found in X-R-A-Y, Chestnut Review, The Citron Review, Stone of Madness, and elsewhere.