LDR by Ryan O’Neill

LDR

on church street we fizz flawed promises from the rooftop bar / bare legs caged heat / may’s rain summer’s early religion / casts us in wine /

bathroom mirror stretches my reflection / smoke stings my eyes / i tell myself i am fine /

glug a pint of water at the bar / check my whatsapp sent /

at bag drop the day you left / squealing children on trolleys cut through us /

your drive safely flooded my lips a whole lake / text me when you land /

at kick-out time we scream karaoke! / take chunks out of the night air /

but the bouncer has no shape to me / watery sounds without edges / saying something that dissolves / then we dissolve

your ghosts drift in our room like party plus ones / piles of clothes / unopened letters /

cables caught in chair wheels / the choking fumes of your perfume /

i burn through weekdays with new rituals / rinse our favourite songs /

join a swim club / stop clearing my junk folder

drive late to see the lights / take a blurry photo / my bursting laundry bin / pant legs drape /

push myself down the pool until i really could stop the skies / smoke out ghosts /

stretch the saintly summer out until you come through arrivals again /

my lungs scream for air rise gasping

Ryan O’Neill is an Irish poet and writer from Cork, Ireland and based in Cardiff, Wales. His work has featured in Ink, Sweat & Tears and These Pages Sing and you can find him on both Instagram (roneill9414) and X (@Roneill1994).