We were never pen pals,
never a duet,
never cronies.
Kin in the barest sense, we were
the epidermis of kin – the one faint ring
in an old, old tree.
We were never bosom buddies, never sidekicks.
We never studied in the school of
how many kinds of love are good really.
Our names aren’t written side by side
in any family Bible. We weren’t
baptized in the same river.
We weren’t even road trip buddies
except for that one long one,
me riding along in the dark.
Colette Tennant has had poems included in various journals, including Prairie Schooner, Poetry Ireland Review 2019, and Rattle. Her poetry is currently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Tennant has two poetry books, Eden and After and Commotion of Wings. Her book Religion in The Handmaid’s Tale: a Brief Guide was released to coincide with the publication of Atwood’s The Testaments, September, 2019.
© 2020, Colette Tennant
Halfway Down the Stairs 