2 Poems

Raised on Rock

Raised on long drives,

crossing Jersey state lines

hands drumming on steering wheels

to the notes of Colin Hay.

Head filling with the songs

of a parent’s childhood

blending the lines between

theirs and yours.

Now you float 

alongside melodies

once crown jewels 

of car speakers.

Run your fingers 

over black vinyl 

that capture the spirits

of Fleetwood and Frampton.

You were not 

denied the modern 

as a selfish act--

you were given a foundation

to support you 

when they’re gone. 

And as you sit in bars

and coffee shops,

hair salons 

and diners, 

and hear the fateful words

you feel it all again;

the light on your face

as you pass through sundown

seat belts rubbing

on exposed collarbones.

And you smile,

for while you complained, 

all they wanted 

was for you to feel

as they once did.

Lonely Hearts Club

At the end of a path 

built for one 

it lies in shambles

of spiderweb cracks 

and lopsided shutters

banging in the wind

Red-tinted dining room 

Black-clad waiters 

deliver bottles of Merlot

Rose-tinted glasses 

now tangled in hair 

She strokes the red flags

left behind by a lover

Table for ten 

a man and his skeletons 

bones creak as they follow

from the back of his closet 

“It’s not you, it’s me”

Upstairs safes keep

heart shaped boxes

cracks abound 

combos of birthdays 

and anniversaries 

Crumpled handkerchiefs 

embed themselves 

into silk sheets 

on twin sized mattresses

Take it all in 

the tear stained cheeks

mascara smudged eyes 

as you receive your key

“Owner of a lonely heart 

much better than a

owner of a broken heart”

But they both reside 

in the same hotel

About the Author

Olivia Baumgartner is a senior English conc. Creative Writing major from Matawan, NJ. She loves her dog Darwin and Disney, and will be participating in the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in the fall. After that, she really doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, but she'll figure it out!