honeysuckle milk flower, by Liam “Lee” Balmeo
Ingredients:
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of honey
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 sprig of rosemary
Directions:
take a spoonful of sun-beaten nectar
& mix lightly; a flurry of crested
leaves in an autumn whirlwind, sounding
like the scraping on a metal pan &
occasional hail pelting a windowpane. drop
that dollop of sunshine into a weathered
mason jar brimmed with milk & let it
drip off that antique teaspoon like
dewdrops on a rooftop ledge. add it
generously by adjusting the concentration
with every swig, sweetness lingering as
brightened sunlight & creaminess
envying the dimmed moonlight.
drink that ambrosia as if you are
waiting for tomorrow, today &
yesterday only relevant in a distant
moment. allow the jar to sit as if it
was deserted by its creator & sprinkle
with cinnamon like snowflakes descending
down a countryside field. finally, top with
rosemary from the backyard garden kissed
by the morning bunch of bees while tasting
of hard work & dulled earth tones. enjoy by
stirring with a honey dipper, atomic particles
swirling in motion & exploding into bushels
of poppies.
Liam “Lee” Balmeo (they/them) is an award-winning junior poet and multidisciplinary artist based in Long Beach, California focused on the principles of intersectionality through activism poetry. Through an experimental style of poetics, Lee has been recognized by Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, YoungArts, The Poetry Society, and received a 2026 Best of the Net Nomination. They also served as a Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador and Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador.
— Liam “Lee” Balmeo