Meeting

Glanced at you from across the room
and forced my eyes to wander.
But you were hypnotic,
dazzlingly electric,
like the moon directing the ocean tides.
How could every head not turn?
Your light was so bright
it couldn’t contain itself.

Dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes—
faded ink wrapped around your forearm.
The antithesis to my softness and desire to be invisible.
I wanted to know you
but feared you at the same time.
Because if you had that power over me then
what would happen if you pulled me into your orbit?

Would I become your sun
or burn up in your atmosphere?
Would you obliterate the galaxies I had created
to keep closeness at arms-length?
Or would you decorate my universe
with a magic I had never known.

About the Author

Hannah Erlbacher is an M1 at Carver College of Medicine. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Human Relations. In her free time, she loves to sing, try out new coffee shops, and take long walks around campus. Her favorite medium is writing.