Flavors of december

Alicia Swain

I. Chardonnay
Rubbing milk and honey into the skin,
some days vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon,
rejoicing the polite softness to follow
each motion, my pale skin crying
from the cracks formed between
each finger. Rings dance around
my cold fingers, awaiting the swell
of the summer air many months
away from the scent of snow and rain.

II. White Zinfandel
Out in the breeze, my cheeks rosy with shame,
nearly sliced in two by the cool. A body
ill-equipped for nature’s cycle. Tear the labels
from the forgotten scarves and envelop me.

III. Merlot
From me it seems as though it sizzles and steams
against the snow-covered pavement. I smelled once
of sweetness, only now of decay as the snow melts
away, and you stand over me, examining the state
of what you left behind, never set to see another
summer day. Nothing sinister rests in your eyes,
nor sorrow. I need not wonder if I’ll be missed.

Alicia Swain is a former English teacher and current researcher based in Richmond, VA. She has an English BA from Penn State University and is currently pursuing an English MA from Eastern Illinois University. Her work has been published in Cathexis Northwest Press and The Closed Eye Open. She can be found on Instagram and Twitter, @aliciamswain, and on her website at https://aliciaswain.com/.