3/31/12

Want of Heat, Absence of Light
By Jennifer E. Lee


When I do not see you
I suffer inside
Like a heavy weight
Upon my heart
Chains tighten
Impossible to avoid
That internal aching
The feel of your skin
Against mine
Your warmth exuding
Pressed
To my precious curves
A desire
A wanting
A pain unlike any other
I want to push you away
My anguish overwhelms me
For when I cannot be close
It is like a little death
A part of me missing
I look different in the mirror
Tears grace my cheeks
Replacing tender fingertips.


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A native of Los Angeles, California, Jennifer E. Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from California State University and a Master of Arts in English from Northern Arizona University. She previously taught writing at Pennsylvania State University and currently teaches at Misericordia University in North East Pennsylvania, where she is also the Coordinator of Writing. Her poetry has appeared in selected literary magazines and anthologies.