My First

by Jack Cariad Leon

I don’t know if you remember me

but when I think of the strangely intimate moment

where I studied your features

as I learned for the first time,

exactly how a person’s face looks before crying,

bitterly humiliated…

I don’t know how it could have been anything

except indelible love.

I feel like if at that moment

somebody had pierced our veins,

starlight would spill out.

***

Jack Cariad Leon (he/him) is a transgender writer and visual artist based in Brisbane, Australia. A fan of the avant-garde, he collects dolls and art books of certain genres. He also has a deep interest in the history and lore of flowers.