Anticipatory Grieving

CLAIRE PHILLIPS-LATHAM

May 10, 2020

I keep practicing telling you goodbye,
memorizing each line that crinkles when you smile,
your convertible tan now fading in quarantine.
I run my hand along your chest
just to feel each rise and fall,
touch your face
to feel my fingers prickle on your beard.

CLAIRE PHILLIPS-LATHAM is a graduate student in Public Health Epidemiology at The University of Texas, specializing in infectious diseases. Her work appears in Writing Texas, Poetry Society of Texas Yearbook, and Waco WordFest Anthology. She maintains eclectic tastes in poetry, music, and movies, but loves science best.