By Cosenza Hendrickson
Like ants piled on a sidewalk crack
They clustered round it.
iPhones shuddered softly
Under gold-dim lighting.
I slowed at the sight of curves, familiar
As my wet hips glistening in the shower—
The leaves of supple flowers.
Eyes darting like bees,
I took in the leaves, the stems,
The purple, nodding heads
Like those of sleepy
Toddlers strapped in car seats.
How warm it must have been—
That day when Van Gogh licked the sun
Off his chin, peeked
Through his barred window
And remembered irises!
When I finally left, the shadows
Had grown cold outside,
But the serpent of LA traffic
Seemed freshly molted,
The telephone lines swooped
Through the sky like dancers,
Even the bubbling radio static
Sang praises.
Cosenza Hendrickson is an English major from Kona, Hawaii. She is the oldest of five girls and is lucky enough to have parents who love to read. Cosenza’s first experiences with creative writing were facilitated by an amazing fourth grade teacher and a purple, spiral-bound notebook. During her sophomore year of college, Cosenza fell in love with poetry during a lecture in which the professor explained the different types of poetic feet. After graduating from Brigham Young University in April, she hopes to continue her study of poetry through an MFA in creative writing.
