"Streetlamps" by Alexander Thomson

Originally published on January 24, 2024

In the quieter moments

We reached upwards, grasping

At the words falling from the streetlamps.

In the lecture hall, under harsh fluorescence

Their presence settled on wearied shoulders

As if to tap politely, inviting us to chat.

I heard them whispering in every corridor of the hospital

Where grandmom lay, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

I wondered if she could hear them too.

Mere vibrations carried on air,

But joined with the clarifying medium of bones and blood

They flourished into meaning that flushed our cheeks,

Enjoining pen to meet paper.

Outside the cafe, we sat in business suits

And carried briefcases

And talked about the current geopolitical climate.

But they were there too, curling around the street corners

And oozing upwards through the grates

To settle around our feet,

Enticing us to ditch our coats

And dance.

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Alexander Thomson is a graduate student working towards his psychotherapy license. He currently provides therapy in supervised capacity at an outpatient psychiatric clinic. In his spare time, he teaches psychology and sociology to pre med students and enjoys spending time with his fiancée and their two dogs and cat. Instagram: alex.w.thomson