The last birthday present she gave me
A reversible vest, brown on one side
Yellow on the other, I wore it when I needed to look tough
Still hangs in my closet
Still wear it for protests and events
Where I might need to be found
I’ve never been lost in my yellow vest
A practical gift she finally gave me
After years of getting Stone Mountain
Pocketbooks and purses which
I threw in my bedroom closet.
My girlfriend stayed over and
Opened the closet and looked at the pile of purses
The look on her face, you know
The what the hell? Is there
Something you want to tell me?
Look, let me explain I said
They were gifts from her over the years
I never had the heart to tell her
I’m a backpack kind of girl
Karen Keough-Huff, aka ‘Q’ is a member of the Writing Sisters, a group of BIPOC and LBGTQ+ writers in Western Massachusetts. She recently self-published her first book of poetry and enjoys performing at open mics as well as attending local writing events.