For Talia

In a moment, prehistory, we were made in mutuality out of soil and sky 

A cosmic creation, us, distilled into monday night drinks and patches of 

Marigolden brilliance 

In a moment, in the fifth millennium, sisters side by side at a loom

Wove tenderly the cloth that would swaddle their daughters and theirs, softness pressed to skin 

An imprint of the sweater I never gave back

In a moment, a girl opened her heart in the passenger seat of a subaru 

Illuminated in the headlights was the first acceptance she’d ever known,

A choice from antiquity, thicker than blood

As in, we made our escape from lonely adolescence 

Praying that benevolence would forge something lasting

A shared foundation shifting from street to street, our toothbrushes aligned 

The light from my bedroom always reaching yours 

Hanging your laundry, damp, alongside my own


As in, when college was unkind to us

Reforging the link and whispering, “you, I cannot lose.”
Planting ourselves firmly on the world’s ugliest couch, brushing my hair, braiding yours

Crying to Tyra Banks and carving vows in stone that we, 

Unbreakable, unshakeable, will last

As in, exhilarating generosity and overwhelming grace

“Here, take my umbrella, here, I don’t mind. Don’t worry, I’ll drive.

I’m bringing you coffee, can I cook for you tonight? You’ve hurt me, but don’t worry, forgiveness has never been so simple.” This, at least, it is easy to know 

That unendingly, we are linked. 

I want to be your neighbor forever 

Two points on a bridge, a map, the continental United States, 

A string tied around my middle and pulling me forever 

To you

Mary Rhodes

MARY RHODES (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. She lives there with her dog Kit, her cats Maya and Dovey, and the nameless ghost that haunts her laundry room. She spends her free time fostering kittens from local rescues and dragging her duvet to the couch for a movie night. You can find her on instagram at @maryrwrites, and on twitter at @marspr44.

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Unapologetic Affection with Hannah Leigh

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A love letter to my best friend