Editor's Note: Congratulations to R William Parmenter for winning this month's competition. The theme for June was "out-of-body" and this piece captures the experience of floating, as vapor, in a simplistic and beautiful way before being pulled back to reality by a loved one.
...There,
In the ether,
Floating in oxygen,
Carbon dioxide,
And poison particulates —
I'm vapor.
My head up there,
Eyes beyond the horizon
For many forgotten miles —
You place your face
In front of mine,
Pulling me back to earth.
I smile.
...
R. William Parmenter (he/him) is a Michigan based poet. His debut poetry collection, Between The Dark and The Light, was published in 2024. You can find him on Threads/Instagram @rwilliamparmenter, BlueSky @rwilliamparmenter.com, Substack @rwilliamparmenter, and his website https://rwilliamparmenter.com.
Winner of Oatleaf's June 2025 Poetry Competition.
Theme: Out-of-body