The first backpack

Forthcoming in Vine Leaves Press’s 50 Words, Give or Take (July 2026)

She lifts the smallest backpack you've ever seen—pink nylon,
two loose threads.
And lets go of your hand.
Seasons turn.
She reads in the backseat now, the dog warm
on her ankles.
You drive. She grows.
Another year.
The backpack becomes a duffel, and
she waves from a gate you cannot cross.