Forms. A poem by Iva Yates

If things had gone as planned
you’d be here with me.

I’d be sitting where I am now
writing this poem and

you would’ve been in the
bedroom, in front of the mirror

practicing your kung-fu forms. Something
in the energy of the apartment changed,

a shift in the heaviness of the air. It became
lighter, brighter as you moved your body

through the fixed motions. And as you moved,
a stillness settled in you. It radiated outward

comforting my usually busy mind. It was in
those moments you were most yourself and
I loved you most.

…………

Iva Yates writes poetry, fiction, and personal essays in English and Spanish. Her work has been published in The Ogham Stone, Silver Apples Magazine, The Corridor, and Contratiempo. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College and a master’s degree in English Literary Studies from the University of York. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick.