PROGRESS

PROGRESS

by Lauren Saxon

looks nothing like I hoped she would. she is a one night stand. she is 3pm traffic. I overplay

her on the radio & grow tired of her voice. she is lukewarm leftovers. uninsured therapy. discontinuous. we spend most days making small talk about the weather & at night, I whisper her the only prayers I can remember. she picks me out of convenience. she is nonlinear. she is afraid of commitment. I stand in the mirror & beg her to meet my gaze. she looks nothing like me.

___________________________________

Lauren Saxon is a 21 year-old student at Vanderbilt University. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and writes mostly about her experiences with race and identity. Her work has been published in Flypaper Magazine, and she is currently on staff as a poetry reader for Gigantic Sequins magazine.