Published in The Rappahannock Review 3.3 (August 2016).
for Elliot
He’s a wildflower
jaw decorated with soft thorns
sticky when you try to pluck
the bloom of his groin or
rub the fine grasses
of his arms, chest, legs
search for that sweetness
like you would honeysuckle
tangled in your old backyard
July sun pressing down
on your bare shoulders
Austin Eichelberger 