Illustration by Sue Babcock
Narrated by Aaron Sanberg
The last time I hold her,
she melts.
Pools of her flow from
my shoulders to hips.
Puddles of what she was
splash where I step.
Goodbye, I whisper,
but her ears are all water.
I’m sorry, I whisper,
and maybe she hears.
Her cries are just ripples.
She replies with a wave.
BIO: Aaron Sandberg will stop the world and melt with you. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in West Trade Review, Asimov’s, The Offing, Sporklet, Lowestoft Chronicle, Abridged, Giallo, Right Hand Pointing, Monday Night, and elsewhere. A Pushcart-nominated teacher, you might find him—though socially-distant—on Instagram @aarondsandberg.