Ash We Won’t Remember

By Rebecca Dietrich

I know we won’t reach the finish line,
yet still, I ache for the race.
To leave behind what might have been,
a ghost too heavy to face.
When he places the ring on my hand,
I want no shadows to stay;
no trace of your lips, no whispered regrets
to pull my thoughts away.
Let us burn all the matches we hold—
every spark, every fleeting ember.
So when it ends, there’s nothing left,
just ash we won’t remember.

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Rebecca Dietrich is a poet and photographer from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her debut collection "Under the Stars of Turtle Island" was published by Wayfarer Books in 2025. Dietrich’s poetry has been featured in Red Coyote, Havik, Welter, Steam Ticket, and elsewhere. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University. You can follow her on Instagram @limericks_and_asphodels