Jaclyn Burr’s most recent poem to appear here was “The Harmonica” (October 2016)

Footsteps in the Ashes
By Jaclyn Burr

I had a vision of you and me
building our futures
intertwined
like blossoming rose trees,
bold and brazen
against the thorns.

Now when I close my eyes,
all I see is gray.
I’m a stranger in this skin,
clawing at the dirt, hoping
to recognize your face.
There’s a quiet hesitation
that haunts your tender touch.
The picture we had is faded now,
its color washed away by tears.
The drizzle of reality
chills deeply, seeping in,
as we try to make a life together,
still searching for our own.

I’m drawing a new picture
with the cinders
from our burnt dream.
I’m drawing your smile,
will you still like the shading,
with all the color gone?
I’m still clutching your fingers
as we wander on,
leaving our footsteps
in the ashes.