Things once in contact
are always in contact,
but –
I wind up here somehow,
my hand just there,
missing it.
“Day One” is delicate –
an efficient illusion.
But right away,
fewer glasses break.
Sour spots clear up.
A dustpan and disinfectant.
In a clean kitchen,
there is one mistake,
and there is one certainty:
the first day is every day.
A space filled with nothing
is still a space,
and still full.
Casey Lynn Roland holds a BA and MA / MAT from Salem State University, along with an MFA from the University of New Hampshire. While she lives, works, and makes art on the North Shore of Massachusetts, she also spends much of her time on Lake Winnipesaukee; her poetry attempts to reconcile her relationships to those places, the people in them, and how they’re always changing. Casey’s sustained obsessions are folklore, trees, and the idea that all time is simultaneous. You can see more of her work on Instagram at @mscaseycreates and at designbyland.com.