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two poems
BY JOCELIN MCGRATH
we grew up in the sunshine state
under the amber skies,
late night laughter, drifting
from the swingset
dancing through the
blooming groves, building
must & citrus memories
holding hands with innocent unity
creating a lasting bond from
playground pacts to business agreements—
​
using limestone as
paint, fashioning the
keepsakes for centuries
​
in the distance, heat
lightning parades across
violent summer skies
the dew leftover from
mother rain, on hoods
of cars, cutting through
​
humidity, as they take
each solid breath—
the sun rises & the sun sets
​
everyday a new adventure
galloping through the old
roads, down to the familiar
​
scent of the local orange groves.
to fall in love on the front porch
would you meet me on the front porch once more,
under the shade of safety
where you stand on the step below me,
looking in my eyes; crumbling
at your gaze, watching the ocean
beneath your brow, your expressions
pull me closer to you,
sharing laughter between memories,
leaving permanent punctures;
you pluck me an ivory daisy from the garden,
placing it behind my ear, your hand
framing my jawline for a moment—
before standing up at the fear of falling:
cradling yourself into the pouring rain,
reaching within yourself to disappear
yet somehow there is something seclusive
about sinking into you, and spinning lightly
into a kiss, which lingers when i’m alone.
Jocelin McGrath is a Secondary English Education major. She transferred to USF in 2020, after completing her Associates degree at her local state college. She has always been involved with arts and writing. She attended Harrison School for the Arts, where she specialized in Creative Writing. It was not until her junior year, however, that she discovered and fell in love with poetry. Jocelin wants to blend creative writing and technical writing in the classroom, showing students that there is room for creativity and expression in the standard English classroom.
Header Image by Ben Owen (Unsplash)