The Boy Who Believed in the Girl Who Did Not Believe in God
       

They're supposed to be learning something about Emily Dickinson and "The Yellow Rose of Texas" but no one's sure why it matters. The girl is drawing a butterfly on the soft skin of the inside of the boy's forearm with a blue ballpoint Bic. His mistake is thinking skin is the word that matters. His mistake is thinking ink, thinking heartbeat and fingertip. The average lifespan for most species of butterfly is a month, and the girl knows better than to ask for an exception, she knows the season will outlast this restlessness she feels. She knows the boy's desire should not be confused with her own. The lesson is about rhythm—is about faith.

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Copyright © 2019 Amorak Huey All rights reserved
from Boom Box
Sundress Publications
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission