Between Ordinary

by Meg Booth

I see you as
Light resting on a brick wall,
Pieces of the sky in

Between

A tangle of branches,
Stretched clouds on lazy days,
Dried tulip petals pressed

Between

Glass to preserve the spring.
An inhale before the notes escape.
The hum of a song stuck

Between

Radio stations.
Cracking jokes at the moon
Gulping sticky air

Between

Swallows to regain our breath.
Summer nights sigh and
Empty space

Between

Ordinary and extraordinary
Shrinks like cotton on a high-heat cycle.
That the distance

Between

Us would also shrink,
Fold in on itself like paper dolls.
You and I are

Between

Not fully developed thoughts.
Certainty is too pristine,
Doubt is nauseous, we are somewhere

Between

Meg Booth has roots in the Southside and Highland Park. As an alumna of Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, she enjoys all things arts-related, though sharing her writing is relatively new. Meg hopes to grow as a writer and continue to use writing as a tool to make sense of the world, of identity, and to center reimagination in pursuit of justice and liberation within her communities. Meg is part of the Heinz Fellowship 2020-21 cohort where she works as a critical mentor to elementary students. Equally important, Meg is an avid fan of karaoke and buffalo chicken dip.

City of Asylum believes that All Pittsburghers are Poets. With the Poem of the Week series, we seek to increase the readership and appreciation of poetry locally by publishing poems written by residents of Allegheny County of all ages and levels of experience. In partnership with the Poetry Editors at Sampsonia Way Magazine, City of Asylum advances our mission to defend, celebrate, and build on creative freedom of expression. This project received a RADical ImPAct Grant from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD).