Rosalie Hendon

I dream you fall off a cliff.
I’m admiring a mountain,
and you take a few steps backward,
arms pinwheeling, eyes
wide with surprise. I’m afraid
to watch but force myself
to not look away, to witness.

I wake up, and my palms are sweating.
Dry-eyed, nerves shot.
Every time I close my eyes,
your bloody tumble replays.
I keep them open instead.
Grasp your arms. 
Press my hot hands to you.

You startle awake.
“Did I die?” you ask blearily.
I tell you, “No,
not yet.”

Rosalie Hendon

Rosalie Hendon (she/her) is an environmental planner living in Columbus, Ohio. Her work is published in Change Seven, Pollux, Willawaw, Write Launch, and Sad Girls Club, among others. Rosalie is inspired by ecology, relationships, and stories passed down through generations.