but if I didn’t say good
night now I’d spend
all night telling you
about the dog
playing frisbee at the park. It was fluffy
and bad at catching
before we sleep:
I show you my new spider plant. together we give it a name
this is a love poem
the cat jumped on your lap. you pet her for a full five minutes
this is a love poem
here’s a new song you want to learn tomorrow
it is a love song
I find love poems
bursting
from my texts
[new photo] breakfast today was scrambled eggs and chili
three dragonflies hovered around me in the park and the grass stained my jeans
here is a poem I would like to read you tonight
[emoji of a sun setting over a city skyline]
settle between my legs and rest your head over my heart
I would like to hear your body read
Manahil Bandukwala is a Pakistani writer and artist settled in Canada. Her most recent project, Reth aur Reghistan, is an exploration of Pakistani folklore interpreted through poetry and sculpture, carried out with her sister, Nimra Bandukwala. See more at sculpturalstorytelling.com. She is Coordinating Editor for Arc Poetry Magazine, and Digital Content Editor for Canthius. See recent work in the Malahat Review, CV2, the Fiddlehead, Augur, and other places. She is a member of VII, an Ottawa-based writing collective. @bandukwali on Instagram. @manaaaahil on Twitter.