Nags Head

My mood ring told me I was stressed,

So to the beach I went,

Arriving at my new address:

A condo up for rent.

The salt air cleans my sobbing lungs,

My hormones’ silent rage.

Nineteen a song already sung,

I don’t like this new age.

A country song that makes me cry

Is stuck inside my head.

I fall asleep beneath blue sky

And wake up burnt and red.

Some aloe in my grocery cart

And pancakes by the stack,

Wait for the boy who broke my heart

To freaking text me back.

I wake to watch the sunrise swell;

I’d chase it if I could.

They ask me if the week fared well,

I say “It did me good.”

My rearview glass reflects the sea,

There’s sunshine on my face.

Old N.C. has been good to me;

I dearly missed this place.

June 1, 2024