In Strasbourg

amidst cobblestones akin to crooked teeth
I’ve been here since last May.
Got my place, along the river
right in center town where
a cat sleeps softly 
in front of the boulangerie and
old men sit drinking too-dark coffee and
vowels soften, turn to liquid
in my mouth and
they look at me when I speak
as if I’ve let them in on a secret yet
in the warmest part of the afternoon 
I wander
through the too-small streets
with homes the color of custard
from a world much older than this.

MORGAN NEERING

Born and raised in small-town USA, Morgan Neering is an American writer and poet living in France. Her work explores themes of nostalgia and self-discovery, and can be found in various literary journals such as Yellow Arrow Journal, Carolina Muse, and Ink in Thirds.