by Ophelia Monet
when i am inundated with faded,
watercolor memories of you,
i find that while i am sad,
the more overwhelming feeling
is the need to feel close to you
and so i go to the forest,
where we spent much of our time, and close my eyes—
i allow myself to embrace
the gentle kisses from
the sun, the breeze
and the memories slowly
become darker, more bold,
until they are acrylic
then i paint your face clearly
on the canvas behind my
closed eyes
Ophelia lives in Fort Wright, Kentucky with her husband and their son. She is a special education teacher with a focus on autism intervention, and spends much of her free time reading fantasy novels and wandering forests. She also storm chases on the side (yes, really). She started writing a few years ago, after learning that her mother, who had passed ten years ago, was a published writer. She began sharing her writing public under a pseudonym (Ophelia Monet) in early 2024.