It was November. It was cold; below the seasonal average, the weather forecast said. The wind swept the dead leaves along in gusts. The sky was a cold, clear blue. Really not the weather to be put ... [+]
Hannah Erlbacher is a third-year medical student, poet, and lover of grunge rock. She resides in Iowa City with her husband and tortoiseshell cat. "Pruning" was originally a finalist in Short Édition's Long Story Short Award contest, 2022.
It's okay to rip flowers outand to set fire to vines,to pluck petals off withoutcounting to love me or love me not.It's okay to let fruit spoilwithout giving it a chanceto taste sweet.It's okay to have weeds and beesand birdbaths full of June bugs,to plant watermelon seedsthat will never grow.It's okay to cut the heads off rosesand to water the bush that will never bloom.It's okay to dance in a garden of goodbyesto let go,to make room.