Rebecca Jamieson

What We Say When We Say Nothing

The soldier sits beside me at dinner. He is tall and blonde. His knee keeps brushing mine under the table. The muscles in his thighs are visible through his khaki pants. When he looks at me, he has his sister’s eyes. I can’t keep his gaze too long; something will explode. The ghosts hang in the room, but we do not invite them to sit down. His skin glows with a subtle light. If I touched him, would the light shine through my hand? Later, I see the picture of him holding the gun. It is so large it covers half his body. I study every inch: the boots, the goggles, the dusty camo. The gun held ready. In the dim room, my own face reflected in the glass.

Rebecca Jamieson is the author of the poetry chapbook The Body of All Things, published by Finishing Line Press in 2017. Her writing has appeared in various publications, including Calyx, Hunger Mountain, Lion’s Roar, The Offing, Rattle, and Stirring. A longtime student of meditation, Rebecca is the founder of Contemplate Create, where she teaches Mindful Writing classes in person and online. Rebecca has also taught with Write Around Portland, a nonprofit that offers writing workshops for marginalized communities. She is currently the Teaching Fellow at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she is pursuing an MFA in Writing & Publishing.