Be st
Fri end

Rachel Beachy

__________

Halfway between her house and mine there was a hill
we could bike to, but we met at the corner stop sign first
in our flip-flops and braces and braids. We stole our
mothers’ body spray and smelled like cucumber melon
the whole summer. I still remember the feeling of flying
down the hill. I still remember the sight of her back,
t-shirt billowing, more afraid for her than for myself.
We were thisclose to losing control, to growing up.
What happened next? A little of both. I don’t think
we ever said goodbye. Nowadays we both have daughters
and don’t live too far apart and haven’t seen each other
in years. But when I come to the hill, I think of her –
how we dared each other to take our hands off the handlebars.
We let go.

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Rachel Beachy lives in Kentucky with her husband and children. Her debut collection Tiny Universe will be published by Kelsay Books. Her poetry has also appeared in Ephemera, ONE ART, The Orchards Poetry Journal, Quiet Diamonds, Sky Island Journal, wildscape. literary journal, and others. She was shortlisted for the Central Avenue Poetry Prize 2026.

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