we met on ivory steps in jittery morning air
you traced rows of empty tables under pale domes
while he looked over his shoulder, nothing could resist his melody
and your mind was clean just this once.
that day, someone was telling a person who had your name they loved them
as you looked at immutable shapes and saw one another
hidden behind alabaster, tucked between oils
somewhere, a baby cried, entering the world.
your knees trembled with agony, bruises you wished were traced
how much beauty there is in this life
among wayward plans and hollow estates
hiding itself in inks and metal plates on podiums
leaving, he only looked forward, fending off your gaze with determination
and you were free to take the air in and your heart beat its drum
you watched him go as everything did and everything came together
the air softened
marble bodies leaping towards one another
Sofia Mirzoeva is an eighteen-year-old high school student based in Paris, France. Though her work has never been published before, she is passionate about poetry, as well as other art forms, and is hoping to study Comparative Literature and Film in the UK later this year. Aside from writing poetry, Sofia is an active feminist and works for the non-profit association Education for Girls.