By Tannaaz Zaraineh
We go on long drives in the summer heat,
An arm around my shoulder.
While we’re
Watching the sun set, alone, you ask questions,
nudging me to give
answers that never escaped my mouth.
When you’re tired
of toying with the discomfort,
you grab the water
and pour.
Droplets turn to waterfalls
washing away my chalky lines.
Greed.
It helps you open your eyes
every day.
How to know you’ve done enough?
I look down to your feet,
and see you’re drawing your lines
with my chalk.
Tannaaz is currently a second-year student at the University of Toronto. She’s published poetry and flash fiction for Young Writers of Canada, and has written for The Mike and Mnerva Literary Journal. You can find some of her work on her blog (IG: @themouththatwrites). Her poem “Chalk” is about women’s personal boundaries, and about the arrogance that often leads others to ignore the “chalk lines” women draw around themselves. Ultimately, it’s up to the reader for interpretation.
Photo credit: Timo Volz on Unsplash
