On our first date, I left nothing to chance,
wearing (advised by my guy friends) my black
sweater with the bright stripes across the bust.
We both had Beef Wellington and I spit
the paté discreetly into my hand,
mortified, while “Melt with You” was playing,
as you gazed at me, like I was night sky,
a star you interviewed on red carpet.
Later I’d learn that Lindemann’s theory
of melting says that it’s when the amplitude
of atomic vibration, equalized,
creates harmony, common frequency,
and reasonable agreement; thus, while
burning, alone, we would, together, melt.
Julie Benesh has published stories, poems, and essays in Tin House, Crab Orchard Review, Florida Review, Hobart, JMWW, Cleaver, Maudlin House, and many other places. Her chapbook ABOUT TIME is forthcoming from Cathexis Northwest Press. She is a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Grant. Read more at juliebenesh.com.File
Quartz Literary 