m review — poetry — as friends
Honorable Mention in Poetry — 2006 M Review Writing Contest
As Friends
by Melanie Faith
You weren't getting any-
thing from me but you still said
okay, you wanted to go with me
across the country on the writing assignment
though student loan checks were all you wrote,
you maintained you were fine with us
as friends. My friends insisted, "Take him."
"What's there to lose?" I wasn't quite so sure
of you or of myself. Expectations
seemingly pointing to cocktails and moonlight,
but you never even brushed my hand when
you took the handle of my luggage.
Separate rooms booked, though side-by-side
we sat on the red-eye bound for the painted desert,
the newlywed couple in front of us
caressing freshly-ringed fingers, cuddling.
We didn't acknowledge them once.
You stared out at the street of clouds,
I pretended to read my poetry magazine,
all the while I couldn't help but hear
the cooing pair, reminding me
you weren't getting anything from me.
Clever boy, making no moves at all,
it's then I wanted you.
Melanie Faith of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Melanie Faith's poetry has appeared recently in Aesthetica (UK), been featured on the World Poetry Radio Show (Vancouver, Canada), and earned 3rd place in a "boys/girls" themed Maison Neuve Magazine (Montreal, Canada) contest. In October 2005, she was invited to participate in Wilson College's Visiting Writers series and was the first alumnus to give a reading of her work. She is currently a graduate student in the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina
