sonnet i

by karla hirsch

blue, I mean sky, I mean heat. let’s expand

like yellow parasols, sun-hungry. Build

hives around the barbecue, make islands,

jigsawed from cooling bags, spikeball sets, cards,

their ears bent from last winter’s company.

spread out memories like blankets, huddle

on them. bare feet, I mean free, I mean grass

kisses. nothing, I mean nothing stops me

from watching you unfold, stretch towards the

sky for the football your brother sends up,

up you dive. behind us the barley rocks

the light, thinks itself a wilderness. this

is time’s idle hug. let’s fold each other

into paper planes, lift off in sync—

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Karla Hirsch (she/her) is a German-Romanian writer, editor, and educator. She studied English and French literature in Augsburg and Edinburgh. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Brink Literary Journal, The Four Faced Liar, Spry Literary Journal, Tint Journal and others. She's currently working on her first novel.