by Tina Zafreen Alam
soundtrack: eve, the roots
& is this turning
back time never heard
it resurrect dry wilted
fresh rain tender stream
sunlight thaws cold
can you feel it
warm brush lips warm
kiss every numb away
you roughed eve out of wonder
dulled splendour
keep saying dull but how else can i say
you said it best
let me fuck with it
a most tender instrument
shaped through desire legible
lower lower
i thought i loved someone once
it felt like eve
the roots took out ‘cause i need you
you can’t erase need that easy
though
it runs flow ready like current
steady moving under steady
& that says nothing of what it means
to reminisce study your sound
bring it back moving let’s trace it
steve spacek made eve
crispy layers already you metabolized
i mean you broke it down & the roots
made it live instruments
is that ?uest calling out b♭
what restoration repeats this
prayer like i repeat
listen listen
i thought i loved him once
it felt like eve
but so far i’ve only loved you
& i only keep loving you
more
Tina Zafreen Alam is a diasporic Bangladeshi poet who doesn’t believe in space, time, or borders. Currently based in Toronto, she loves J Dilla, Wong Kar-Wai, and the Toronto Raptors. When she is not writing, she is watching basketball, listening to music, dancing, or communing with the city’s squirrels.
This poem previously appeared in FreezeRay Poetry.