Flight 1649

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My sister and I split the last of the anti-anxiety gummies
on the way to the airport
They taste like cheap lip gloss
And the familiar bittersweetness of endings

38 minutes to Midway

The further we drive the more I feel like a
rubber band
One end fixated at my grandma’s little house
The more distance covered only means
the harder I’ll snap back on return
The force of impact will break my bones

15 minutes to Midway

We said we’d get lunch at the airport
We both know we won’t be hungry
maybe we’ll pay $15 for a pack of crackers
My shoulder is still stiff from sharing the guest bed
I imagine my whole arm snapping off when lifting my suitcase

7 minutes to Midway

I hand my sister one of my AirPods
As she takes it I feel
The isolation that steps on my heart like a brake pedal
Ease up
Creep back

I feel her rubber band stretch too



Molly Smith is currently a student at Cumberland University, working towards her BA in English and Creative and Imaginative Writing. Born in Northern Illinois, she moved to middle Tennessee in high school and enjoys being a barista, watching movies, and roller skating.

NOVUS Literary and
Arts Journal
Lebanon, TN