You tell me how, in his Nobel prize speech,
William Faulkner said the only thing worth writing
is the human heart in conflict with itself.
We are underneath the first tree to jump
the gun on Autumn. Holding back October
like a yawn, we stay in the park until dusk starts
apologizing for the day, clearing back the light
& all it attracts. You smile like a fifth shot of gin,
a whisper passed between friends. How different
they end up being— what we look for, what we find.

Lauren Gilmore was born and raised in Spokane, WA. She writes poems and stories. Her work has appeared in Pontoon, Ghost City Review, and Lilac City Fairy Tales. Her first, full-length collection, Outdancing the Universe, was published by University of Hell Press in 2015.