Andrea Gibson

The South

I used to live in New Orleans. I followed a girl there. We met on a road trip in Wyoming. We fell in love wearing hunting hats. We were both vegetarians. I was with her in Flagstaff, Arizona the first time she saw snow. She was with me in New Orleans the first time I saw a boy glue bottle caps to the bottom of his shoes and tap dance like he was chasing the hurricane that filled his grandpa’s shot glass. I drank like a fish back then. I hadn’t found poetry yet. At least, I hadn’t found its voice box. I thought poetry was a quiet thing, I thought I could write poems in coffee shops.  I thought the train was something that would find me. I hadn’t learned to hop. I worked with a guy who drank like a shark. He called my girlfriend my “old lady.” She was 24. We were so in love I gained 30 pounds. I couldn’t stop smiling. I had an old bike and a lawnmower and a radish garden. I knew nothing about politics. I knew a little about my tender heart. In the south, you never stop sweating. In the south, people hug you like you’re worth holding on to. I’m in the south tonight. People have been hugging me like I’m worth holding on to. I’ve been hugging them back the exact same way. Feels right.

1. lesego29 likes this
2. confusedcognition reblogged this from andrewgibby
3. hannimalcollective likes this
4. okworld likes this
5. highesthill reblogged this from andrewgibby
6. paper-gardens likes this
7. minutesandhighways reblogged this from goingtopawnee
8. streetlightsreappear likes this
9. hurlscout likes this
10. goingtopawnee reblogged this from andrewgibby
11. kemee likes this
12. oblivioussongbird reblogged this from andrewgibby
13. intellectualprostitution likes this
14. oblivioussongbird likes this
15. haveyouevercriedwolf likes this
16. findstrength likes this
17. carolinianhope reblogged this from beneaththewillowtree
18. thats-toomainstream reblogged this from beneaththewillowtree
19. thats-toomainstream likes this
20. good-and-safe likes this
21. beneaththewillowtree reblogged this from andrewgibby
22. 0livey-u likes this
23. imintoleather likes this
24. hadassah-means-esther likes this
25. dommymarie reblogged this from deathcabforkim
26. deathcabforkim reblogged this from andrewgibby
27. pandamuffs reblogged this from roamingthefloor
28. roamingthefloor reblogged this from andrewgibby
29. thenicestthng likes this
30. milkthistle-milkthistle likes this
31. longtallbelle reblogged this from andrewgibby
32. thesuperhooper likes this
33. meetmeonthemezzanine likes this
34. pparadoxx likes this
35. itwasmybitchexgirlfriend likes this
36. magic-neighbour likes this
37. marashete reblogged this from andrewgibby
38. callmegamine reblogged this from andrewgibby
39. omalleyalley reblogged this from thetriangleeffect
40. omalleyalley likes this
41. veganconfessional likes this
42. loadupyour6shot-baby reblogged this from thetriangleeffect
43. loadupyour6shot-baby likes this
44. cumminglinguist likes this
45. thetriangleeffect reblogged this from andrewgibby
46. jeanie-boulet reblogged this from andrewgibby
47. mermaid-vision likes this
48. climbinglyell reblogged this from andrewgibby
49. gummymer reblogged this from andrewgibby
50. Show more notesLoading...