Erin Jamieson

Blisters

I run until my feet are blistered
on lonely roads, past disheveled homes
past mom & pop diners with faded signs
past a father taking his son for a walk,
both of them freckled from July sun

I run until I feel my mother’s absence less
until her voice echoes in my chest
like a soft haunted lullaby: our last fight
how she told me I would always be alone

I run until I’m at the edge of this town
I promised I’d escape, until my childhood
& my wandering adulthood meet

I sit down outside a small cafe
aroma of burnt coffee beans

I’m sorry, I say-
but I’m not sure anymore
if I’m apologizing to her
or myself

Erin Jamieson’s writing has been published in over 100 literary magazines and nominated twice for both the Pushcart Prize and Best of Net. She is the author of four poetry chapbooks, including Fairytales (Bottle Cap Press, 2023) and a forthcoming collection, and a historical novel, Sky of Ashes, Land of Dreams (Type Eighteen Books, 2023).

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