The Stranger in my Doorway

Jackie Knowlton

He must have been scooped out by some other world
the way he was looking at me
like the midnight sun cast a shadow
his hair, standing on edge
like the hands of lightning stopped him
from knowing me

He didn’t know me
not in that moment –
so colossal it made me question the ones before
when he wasn’t in a ring of fire
falling face first into a hell
he found inviting

I wouldn’t want to know him now
but he was begging me
without saying a word
I felt the flames tickle my retina
I didn’t know they would lead me here
standing in the doorway
of our house
the one he bought when his eyes were not bloodshot
He doesn’t know me
I can’t let him in.

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Jackie Knowlton
Jackie Knowlton is currently a student at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where she is studying Creative Writing and French. She served as a poetry editor and design editor for the 2025 edition of UNC Asheville’s literary magazine, Headwaters. She enjoys spending time outside, and she loves all animals. She is originally from Apex, North Carolina.