Cherry Trees

We walk the orchard like it's our land
barefoot monarchs
with juice-stained fingers
and crowns of sunlight

you say
my lady
with a mock bow
and I laugh
like I haven't been sad all year

you pick the fruit like a prince in exile
dramatic
deliberate
as if the cherries will remember
being chosen by you

I curtsy with a basket
call you
your grace

and you smirk
tucking a loose curl
behind my ear

we rule nothing but the afternoon
but god
what a kingdom it is

we need no throne
just cherry trees
and each other.

This poem is from my collection A Crown of Sunlit Things, releasing March 10th, 2026! It is available for pre-order on kindle.

Hi friends, thank you for reading my diary. I wrote this poem while driving (well, sitting in the passenger seat) exploring the areas of Europe where my boyfriend grew up.

We wandered through castles and ruins and I was admiring the art and he was looking at me. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, dancing around the street with him. I stayed in his family home—since the early 1800s, maybe earlier—in his father’s childhood bedroom. It was a small, beautiful place, in the middle of nowhere I was just… amazed. There was a small stream with ducks and animals and a large clearing outside the door and it felt like a fairytale.

I realized rather quickly as we went from place to place the thing that made me feel so special was having him there with me. I don’t care where we end up, as long as we rule it together.

Care keeps this work breathing. I’m writing while saving for medical school and time with sick relatives. Support is never expected—only received with immense gratitude. 🖤

s