“This Is How I Keep You Alive” by Bre D’Alessio South

This Is How I Keep You Alive

I plant roses in my front yard.
Order your favorite Chinese food.
Organize my bedside table
with library books,
offer sunlight to plants and worry whether I’m overwatering.
I kiss the sand with my limbs
let the sun hydrate me.
I ask the ocean to tell me your stories
red sky at night?
I don't believe in much,
but you’re hidden inside the stars
and if I squint

you wake up one million times.

I replay the voicemail on your birthday
proof we existed.
Yes, you're somewhere in between the waxing phase.
I hear your kiss when the birds rise each morning.

Bre D’Alessio south

Bre D'Alessio South is a writer based in Massachusetts. Her work has been featured in the Texas Review, Maudlin House, same faces collective, BarBar, and bullshit lit. She is a 2025 Best of the Net nominee. 

Headshot: Cristina Fisher

Photo Credit: Staff