We watch the sun move across
the water like the tinkle of chimes.
The trees are up next—they try to one-up the water.
Color is moderating the event.
I start a betting pool.
You place twelve to one odds
on the jasmine plant on our balcony.
It’s had a strong first season.
I’m thinking of betting on the heat
luring the air from my lungs
like a pickpocket.
Or the chunk of frozen compost
we found last winter
that looked like Murano glass.
Can we do write-ins?
Time shouldn’t be an event qualifier.
T told us that she doesn’t believe
in relationship hierarchies.
She cares about all her lovers.
That’s how I feel—gold everything.
Natalia Prusinska (she/her) is a queer poet. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in Beloit Poetry Journal, BOOTH, Cream City Review, Passages North, and elsewhere. She lives with her partner in Los Angeles. Twitter: @NataliaGodyla