Soft Lines - James Roach

She uses pencil to underline

the parts that move her,

whether tragically,

lovingly,

or somewhere else entirely.

Her lines are soft,

near hidden.

I use pen,

more permanent,

a statement to what I love most

can’t be erased.

With blue tabs, she marks parts of me,

of her,

of us

in this book,

the only time we’ve ever met.

I’m eager to skip over the lineless pages

to find where she knows me best.

BIOGRAPHY:

James Roach (he/him) attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio when he was 18 which he will brag about forever. He is most creative between the hours of up-too-late and is it even worth going to bed? The quiet mystery of the night has always inspired him. He dug up his midwest roots to live in Olympia, Wa., not too far from some sleepy volcanoes and beaches to write home about.