Tom took a picture of me on his rooftop
the Philadelphia skyline blazing behind me
man’s attempt to rival God’s scenic brilliance
Liberty One and Two float in the background
while Tom’s penthouse apartment from years ago
rests on my shoulders reminiscing the past
Tom—young and in love, naked in his bathtub
laughing with John, leaning against him, holding him
a black and white photograph hanging in his hallway
Captured memories, like the ones Tom passes on to me
—lost in the snowbanks of a Syracuse winter, he waved
a flag above his head to be seen by the bus driver
Lost somewhere before the flames of Stonewall ignited
a conversation, a passion within eventually uttered
in John, in music, in us watching Shakespeare in the park
And in these newfound friendships, a peace is achieved
in the recognition that we will never be alone
that the masterpieces we create to match God
are really manifestations of our love for one another
of a bond that allows us to conquer the sky
Matty Bennett is a graduate student at Virginia Tech, pursuing his master of fine arts in creative writing.