Confections

Kissing
outside of the north end
neighbourhood dive bar
/local punk show
/hipster donut shop
beneath the grime
slicked glass
where a woman kneads
dough and scowls
at us
my laughter unspooling
like divine constellations
desire embodied
in public spaces
behind the street lamps flushed
with dreamy hues
and muffled
sounds of bass lines
smoke blooming
incantatory circles
around the silver speckled youth
nourishing
each other with a slow poison
regurgitating their future
as it spreads out vibrant
and vulnerable in front of them
it feels palpable
now our mouths ripened
and molding tiny buttercream
flowers that melt
in the hot breath
passed between us like secrets
decadent
enough to blur time
to salve memories
still feeding on sinew and bone
to forget
the perishable root
of our bodies
lost in consumption

Ellie Lamothe is a Sociology student, activist, and poet living in K’jipuktuk (Halifax, NS). She's passionate about feminism and collective healing, and is the founding editor of Laurels & Bells Literary Journal. Her work has appeared in Glass: A Journal of Poetry (Poets Resist), Kissing Dynamite, and Yes Poetry. You can follow her on Instagram @ellielamothe and Twitter @laurelsandbells.