Sugar Pine, California

I smooth honey on an ache to no avail,
a crowd pleaser but never the remedy.

Someone tucked a gem back
into a mountain town, and now everyone’s

come down with that relapsed fever, backsliding
into the valley. Despite the mining, the bees

never left. The horn section, buzzing a hidden
treasure. From here, I play the song

that never disappoints, raw amethyst unreachable
in a different altitude. I’ve healed

all my wounds with sugar, ignoring cavities,
drilled and sealed shut. A nosebleed, a dizzy spell,

a band of thirst the gorge can’t fill. An echo keeps
record of the timecard, still tarred against the hive.

Amanda Maret Scharf & Hannah Smith are co-authors of the chapbook, Metal House of Cards, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in Fall 2024. Their collaborative poetry has been published in The Shore, Bear Review, SWWIM Every Day, and Hooligan.

Published July 15 2024