Goodnight

Laptop shuts as the clock rolls its eyes, shaking its head

I pinch the lamp's cheek

Every article of clothing, banished from our curtained sleep

and although you are already peacefully playing in mind multiverses

I guide my cold feet to your calves, my cold cheek to your chest,

murmuring “I love you” and purring “mmm”s

as your consciousness rises from rest

to remind me, even from other worlds “I love you too”

Maria Martinez was born and raised in Oregon City. She spends her days on a farm, doing her best to befriend the chickens and pigs. Now a full-time mother of three, she balances the chaos of family with the peaceful art of basket weaving. When she’s not chasing after little feet or weaving baskets, she’s writing.