White peonies
at the bottom
of the garbage bag,

petals scattered
among coffee grounds
and rotting bananas,

were the prettiest
flowers
on our kitchen table
this summer.

Only days ago,
she asked
if they were real.

Like love.
Like poetry.

It ends.

---

Ryan Di Francesco is a Canadian writer and teacher with a BA in English Literature. He’s the Editor-in-Chief of Shadow and Sax, an emerging literary magazine, where his poetry and short fiction have appeared. His poems have been published or are forthcoming in Ink In Thirds, Bicoastal Review, Bitter Melon Review, SQUID Magazine, Rawhead, Azarão lit journal and more. His nonfiction and essays have appeared in The Toronto Star, The Hardball Times, and elsewhere. He also co-wrote the indie film Streets of Wonderland.