Arthritic Shoulders Make Nice Homes

Adalain E. Sans

---

​when my breath catches
i rest my chin
on the shelf of your shoulder,

mouth pressed 
to the small ridge of bone
beneath your skin.

sometimes 
i follow the scatter of age spots
with one finger, 

counting them
like porch lights
on a road i’ve taken home 
a hundred times.

between your collarbone
and shoulder blade,
there is a hollow
made for returning. 

i fit there. 
i’ve been there before.

warm beneath my cheek
the ache
loosens its grip.

the hollow becomes home.

outside,
the world keeps asking
something of me.

here,
it asks for nothing.

---

Adalain E. Sans is a Cuban American poet, essayist, and emerging author from Miami, Florida. Her work has appeared in publications across North America, Australia, and Europe. She is an emerging voice in the contemporary literary landscape and is currently at work on her debut novel.

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