Five a.m. and a New Friend

Intertwined, like branches
at the corner of a house
in a neighborhood from which I’ve strayed.

Kids grow up looking at these trees
from their houses, knowing
they will never dare to climb so high,
would never grow into blissful confusion.

But we dared, that night and further on,
to climb, to intertwine ourselves, teach each other
what it means to want someone unlike you, twined
to you like an apple to a branch,
becoming sweeter with each bite.

Courtney Elizabeth Justus is a sophomore at Trinity University. Her work has been published in Eunoia Review and Arsenic Lobster. She loves acting, playing the piano, and searching for her next favorite novel. She can be found atcjustuswriterintro.blogspot.com andcjustusbookrecommendations.blogspot.com.

“Poetry matters because it saved my life and those of others that I know. Whether we realize it or not, every poem contributes something meaningful to existence. It reminds me that life is worth living. Writing and reading poetry made me realize that there are numerous ways of viewing our experiences, and it is up to us to find the beauty in everything that happens to us.”