in my head like an old love song playing
on the radio, the one that stays with me
all day and calls back to me in my mind,
a strumming of my fingers against the
dashboard, an annoying tune that won’t go
away hanging over my head like the
floating, summer clouds decades ago...
You’ve let the convertible top down
on your corvette, my head leans against
your shoulder, the sun’s tangerine rays
trace the outer edges of our hair as we stroll
south along Interstate 10 listening to music
and making plans about a house in the country
with children and farmland backed up to a lake
and a bleach stained barn filled with rows of stalls for horses.
Everything is perfect: you, me, us
before life gets in our way and time hurls our
futures in opposite directions, stranding the two
of us in separate moments with unlikely lovers.
No one knows the depth of my regret. I’ve kept
it hidden in between the empty spaces but every now
and again it drags back to me like a somber piece
of music keeping time at a steady, throbbing tempo.
Author Bio:
Shay Cook’s love for writing began at an early age when her mother would punish her by sending her to her room when Shay got in trouble. For Shay these moments were exciting! With pen in hand she crafted funny poems, serious verses, rhymes, and free verse. Her love of poetry continued throughout high school and college as she gained a deeper enjoyment of literature. Shay earned an MFA in Creative Writing from National University and a Bachelor's in English from the University of Phoenix. She is the recipient of the Hillsborough County Lit Wit Poetry Contest, Winner of the Tampa Tribune Letter of the Day, and author of a collected work of poems entitled "Black Silk." Shay’s poetry has appeared in both online and print venues. Her recent published work can be found in The GNU Journal, Mother’s Always Write Magazine, Silver Birch Press, Entropy Magazine and The Narcist Playbook by Nutshell Media Group. Shay is currently working on her second book of poetry, "A Pale Shad e of Color." In her spare time she hosts local creative writing workshops. Shay lives in Tampa, Florida.