My finger traces the lines
of black sharpie ink,
the alphabet of your note
and a stick smiley smile.
Sesame candy.
Your favorite, luv. Happy birthday—
(as if it could erase the night before.)
Janette Schafer is a freelance writer, nature photographer, rock n roll singer, and full-time banker living in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a 2017 awardee of the Maenad Fellowship through Chatham University. Her writing and photographs have recently appeared in: Rigorous Journal; Unlikely Stories V; Nasty Women & Bad Hombres Anthology; Dear America, Reflections on Race; PublicSource. 