mas·och·ism by Kelsey Krempasky

i still write poems about you.
it’s like a challenge-
to build heartbreak using only the
shapes of your name.

after you left, i kept the sadness in
my back pocket & tucked it in next to my
phone.
i didn’t know who i was on the days
i forgot it on the kitchen table.

see, even now i could miss you if i
let myself & i can’t remember what day of
the week it is but i can still give your number
to anyone who asks & i guess
what i’m trying to say is every time i think
i’m okay i take a finger to
the bruises
and ask myself why it still hurts.

Kelsey Krempasky is a Canadian poet and undergrad student at the University of Manitoba. Her work has previously been published in The Manitoban, The Rising Phoenix Review, Venus Mag and murmur. When not writing, she is probably thinking about her next cup of coffee. You can find her on twitter and instagram @kelseyyb21.

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