Antilamentation

after Dorianne Laux

Regret nothing, not the night you stayed
awake till 3am reading even though your
alarm was set for 5am because you had
to know whodunit. Those dark circles
can hide behind concealer and an extra
cup of coffee – the plot twist at the end
was worth it. Not the extra glasses of wine
or the salty cheese that melted on your tongue,
the conversation with friends that carried you
through four bottles and probably 1,000 calories.
Don’t regret the movie you watched on the 14-hour
flight, the one that made you ugly cry and caused
your seatmate to hand you a tissue and pat
your arm, as if he too understood the heartbreak
Bradley Cooper can induce. Don’t regret the time
spent traveling his body with your hands, the
salt water smell that always takes you back
to the island of his love. Don’t dwell
on the tattoo you got on your 18th birthday,
even if they didn’t call them tramp
stamps yet. Don’t worry, just sit with
your journal and a pen and the early
morning sky and write and write and write.

Courtney LeBlanc is the author of Beautiful & Full of Monsters (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press), chapbooks All in the Family (Bottlecap Press) and The Violence Within (Flutter Press). She has her MBA from University of Baltimore and her MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. She loves nail polish, tattoos, and a soy latte each morning. Read her publications on her blog: www.wordperv.com. Follow her on twitter: @wordperv, and IG: @wordperv79.