by Sezin Devi Koehler
for Rob Reiner
the humid air streams off the slash pine barks
the breath of a ghost lover against my neck
the tinnitus buzzing of insects, some vampires some not
the goth butterfly that lands on my sweaty shoulder
for a drink—I become nectar
gopher turtles scurry into their burrows at my footsteps
grumpy Harry before Sally
sugar sand yields under my pink sandals
when it rains, hungry quicksand
isn’t just a threat to Westley and Princess Buttercup
this oak tree is 265 years old, the banyan dripping limbs at least 300
these willows extend a fairy circle in the air
rodents of usual size rut below sawgrass thrones
the path into the forest has been worn by hundreds of feet
the train runs parallel, its mournsome whalesong
I’m the fifth friend in Stand By Me
looking for my own dead body in the moist brush
a phoenix in progress
I didn’t forget my comb here by the tracks
but I did forget myself in the junkyard of a marriage
that did not bring us together today
I walk through the woods of your memory
as I wish
come back to us soon
come back soon
come back
Sezin Devi Koehler is a multiracial Sri Lankan/Lithuanian American and author of Much Ado About Keanu: A Critical Reeves Theory (April 2025, Chicago Review Press), a sociocultural deep dive into what makes Keanu Reeves so extraordinary as a performer and artist. Pop-culture writer, entertainment journalist, and Rotten Tomatoes-certified film and TV critic for Black Girl Nerds, Sezin's bylines also include Entertainment Weekly, The Daily Beast, Scalawag Magazine, Tasteful Rude, Teen Vogue, and many more. Her poetry has appeared in Tension Literary. Sezin is a board member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto and wordsmiths from an East Oakland historic landmark that looks uncannily like the house from Practical Magic, where she can see the San Francisco Bay from her own window.
