When I was still a girl, the boys asked when I’d stop believing in magic.

They might ask you one day, too
and you’ll have your own words, your own beliefs, your own magic.

So all I ask is that you
not forget the fish that leapt clear
out of the water,
the bubble you blew
that lingered on your hand long
after the others burst,
this photograph of you
and me.

You and me, we captured magic more
than once
and let
it go.

Michael Chin was born and raised in Utica, New York and currently lives in Las Vegas with his wife and son. He has two full-length short story collections on the way: You Might Forget the Sky was Ever Blue from Duck Lake Books (available for pre-sale here: https://www.amazon.com/You-Might-Forget-Ever-Blue/dp/1943900167) and Circus Folk from Hoot ‘n’ Waddle. He has also published three chapbooks: Autopsy and Everything After with The Florida Review, Distance Traveled with Bent Window Books, and The Leo Burke Finish with Gimmick Press. Find him online at miketchin.com and follow him on Twitter @miketchin.