I’m espresso
As the romantics say
In the way that I energize & entertain
Add some cream and you’ll be set
I’ll be sweet
It’ll be brief
But, as I’ve learned,
I’m espresso also
In the way that too much of me
Makes you jittery
A punch in the gut before I leave
No, I know you’ll hightail it
At the tail end of your high
After a bit of steam
And the hope of being held—
it gets to be enough, too much
And then I put you to sleep
Sally Young is an emerging poet studying Creative Writing at Dartmouth College. She has previously published a poetry collection titled Light Through the blinds, and hopes to keep refining her craft to better the world.