This Is for Our Mistakes

by Roheeni Saxena

You and I made a pact with Poseidon
on just another afternoon at the beach.
You said that it wouldn’t matter
what future we chose for ourselves, because though
we didn’t know what we wanted, we wanted it at all costs.

He splashed our feet as we dug into the warm sand
trying to make it to the other side of the world,
where tomorrow’s sun had already risen.

Years later, the phone rings and your voice spills
through the receiver, as we light our candles
to push out the night, together.
You say you will be here holding my hand
if it ever gets too dark for candles, and your voice
tucks me cold into bed with the bears, dreaming.

Roheeni Saxena is a young poet and writer who was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She received her first formal training as a poet at the Iowa Young Writer’s Workshop, and earned her BA from Wellesley College. She is currently living in New York City, where she is pursing a Master’s degree at Columbia University.

Roheeni Saxena

Roheeni Saxena is a writer, performer, and public health professional living in New York. She is a graduate of Columbia University and Wellesley College. Her work primarily focuses on issues faced by intersectional minority populations. You can visit her on the web at www.roheenisaxena.com.