I haven’t published any new poetry in a while, so I’m excited to share “We live off the last stop of the T,” recently published in Sledgehammer Lit: https://www.sledgehammerlit.com/post/we-live-off-the-last-stop-of-the-t-by-lyss-cypher.
I wrote this poem around two years ago, and I believe it originated during one of our Rainbow Writers freewrite sessions. I always try to write alongside my students, and sometimes I even get a good draft to work from. As far as my motivation for this poem, I wanted to spend time exploring my childhood without an explicit trauma lens. Thinking through all the details of my favorite memories, sensory elements in a very place-based writing exercise - even visiting my old neighborhood for a quick memory refresher. It was difficult, but warming to write this poem. Enjoy. :)