Texas Rain

By Kai Jeanne

I have never bought into the fact  

that humans require connection,  

but it is 5:50am, my flight to Columbus Ohio departs at 7:30,  

and I have pulled an all-nighter to deliver my friend’s diamond stud back to her.  

She walks out in the same fashion of Texas rain,  

slow at first before it overtakes you,  

the knowledge you are now wet  

even though you were always 60% water.  

We sit in my car with the lights turned off,  

air conditioner not running,  

as rain pitter patters against the windshield— 

so as not to wake her mom  

who would ‘skin her alive’ 

if she knew she was out at this ungodly hour.  

We talk about nothing, 

sitting in silence processing 

that we will not see each other for 3 weeks  

after spending almost every day and night together.  

She gets up about 30 minutes in,  

giving me a high five,  

then a hug— 

after I give her the look I always do— 

her hands lingering on my back like her scent.  

I don’t think love hits you until you can smell its white peach perfume. 

It is in the moment between her walking away  

and me watching her gait 

that I realized two things:  

I am gay,  

and the rain will cause my flight to be delayed.  

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Kai Jeanne is a young writer based in Texas. She is a recent graduate of the Denison Reynolds Young Writers Workshop and was published in the student anthology with her poem, The Song of a Lighthouse Lost to the Shore. She enjoys writing prose poetry as well as short stories and is currently working on editing her first manuscript and chapbook.

Follow Kai on Instagram: @Kaijeanne18