My Heart-Shaped Bruise 

by Evgeniya Dineva


The fairy-blue smoke escapes the lips 
then curls around the slim,
so - familiar fingers 
of your hands - once wrapped around me,
in me.
The scent dances above us and dissolves 
in the stale air
of the motel room at the corner of 45th and Elm. 
It’s the time I’m the happiest 
it’s when I’m the saddest.
The numbers are melting in the light of dawn
threatening to break in
through the thick curtains. 
I’m a puddle of disjoined human parts, 
limbs, bones and all this being fragile.
It’s you leaving and me lying here
with my breaths dissipating.
It’s my proof this happened 
it’s my heart-shaped bruise 
no matter what’s to come. 


* * * * *

Evgeniya Dineva is a poet from Bulgaria. Her works appear in The Hong Kong Review, Ethel, Asian Cha and others. Her debut poetry collection Animals Have No Fathers was published by Ars&Scribens in November 2023 (Животните нямат бащи | Евгения Динева | Цена | Ozone.bg). Evgeniya is a fellow of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation for Creative Writing.