Kate Leah Hewett: October 2019 Poet of the Month
The Gaslight Inn Is Closed For Renovations
in your car with the a/c on max
i play dj
to the type of conversation
that will wind us forward
to days that are long
and the safety of knowing that
love
is
not
transactional
once
we tracked the cycle of the year on our bodies
dimpled march to freckled august
now we regret not stopping for pictures
as we pass the gaslight inn
which is still in business
despite its name
and though it makes us laugh
we keep going
because we have places to be today
and errands don’t stop for seeping regret
the sun is setting by the time we’ve finished our tasks
and by then we’re ready to make amends
so we take the detour
of maybe forty minutes
to return
for the photoshoot
where i make you stand next to the sign
and you flip the bird
mug for the camera
in that way that makes me sing
soon i’ll hand to you the words i’ve written
in which time travels in circles
and you get circles tattooed on your existing circles
and we are mountain people
all horizons
hilltops and possibility
Kate Leah Hewett (she/her) is a queer poet, writer and live arts organiser based in Hudson NY. She arrived in Hudson from the North of England, where she spent a decade putting on shows in working men’s clubs, fields and roller discos and working with artists and musicians of many genres. She writes about queerness. Always. Kate is on Instagram at @kateleahhewett