Homegrown

by Mel Connelly

Two biscuits, one with fried chicken
A barely touched, small bowl of cheese grits
………….(the other completely eaten)
Two orange slices, thin and forgotten
Bacon like my mom used to make in the morning
………….(tiny slices)
Fried green tomatoes similar to your great-grandmother’s   
………….(but definitely not better)
Your coffee and mine ordered later so it’s hotter
………….(cream and sugar)
Us, across from one another
…………(finally)
& also the freezing water we sip when we glance away
…………after saying something without caution

 

Mel Connelly is a Paris-based lesbian poet, archivist, book and art historian from rural Georgia. She received her MFA in poetry writing from Columbia University, where she focused on literary translation and feminist pedagogy. She loves doing lesbian literary and archival projects in her spare time. Find her poems in Sinister Wisdom, Screen Door Review, The Crawfish, Lucky Jefferson, redrosethorns, Delta Review, Exist Otherwise, Poetry South and more.