Hothouse Boyfriend by Sarah Herrington
I keep picking
sunny boys
with bright faces
and tall backs
for the vase
on my kitchen table-
watering-can boys
that brighten rooms
with their blooms
only later
to find piles of
I-love-you-I-love-you-nots
scattered on the floor
I keep cleaning
up this mess
vowing
next time I’ll choose
a cactus
or some inconspicuous thing
grown on a rock
that knows what it is
Sarah Herrington is an accomplished poet and fiction writer. Her poetry appears in the anthology Bowery Women alongside writers such as Sapphire and Anne Waldman, and her fiction in the upcoming book Just Like A Girl. She has published work in dozens of print and online journals including SmallSpiralNotebook, Poetry Motel, and Altar Magazine. Sarah has worked in the editorial departments of Scholastic, Inc, Viking Children’s Books, and for New York City’s largest Creative Writing school, Gotham Writers’ Workshop. Sarah currently works with Girls Write Now, teaching and mentoring teenage girl writers. She is a regular reader at the Bowery Poetry Club, Cornelia Street Café, Halcyon, St Marks Poetry Project, and other venues. Her poem-videos have appeared on YouTube, and she has been featured in Venus Zine. She received her degree in English and Creative Writing from New York University. Sarah lives in New York City and online at www.sarahherrington.com.
