My breath catches 
on the creases 
at  the  corners  of  your
eyes, that spell the history
of joy across your face— 
like something dark, 
perched on your cheeks,
sensing the telling tremors
of an earthquake laugh 
pushed off for stormier soldiers,
left only footprints behind.
Maggie Petrella (she/her) is a poet based in Buffalo, New York. Her work has appeared in Back Patio Press, dwelling literary, Southchild Lit, and others. She tweets @maggie_425. 
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