Maple Syrup

by Rahmat Ali

his love smelt like maple syrup

it smelt sticky and sweet

but only when I turned my head in certain directions.

and his love felt like a shock to the system

but in a good way like static,

not like when you hit your funny bone off a desk.

it tasted like ash and fruit

like dark and light.

it looked like smoke floating out the window

and into the street.

it sounded like the heat kicking in when you first get home.

like the chirping birds and

Chatting construction workers.

like the screaming old cat who just wants food.

Rahmat Ali is from Portland, Maine. She enjoys baking and reading in her free time. She is going to be a psychology major and plans to one day be a therapist. She has never formally shared her writing before but has always loved doing it for herself.

Illustration by Samzok Wangdi