Baptismal.
BAPTISMAL
Run, Eliza ... run from Simon ...
A slip of ice on the river--
Current running, falls,
Wounded rocks embedded,
Bruised rivermouth agape.
Bloodspools, strung waterbeads
Skirt spindle thighs.
Moiling--
Gloam of huddled light. Touchfires.
Wet breasts bound, anklegagged,
Whiskey-breath communion.
Broidered men in carpet slippers,
Noose-neck ties; ruffled
Staunch Sunday waists, the women,
Next of local kin; issues loom large
In the small hours of morning:
Windstripped, clothesline hung
Body dressed with two hundred stripes,
Fresh cuts in every room. Home.
Couch an overstuffed
Tattooed stomach, coat
Slouched back a chair,
Grim chin and jaw,
Holy bric-a-brac, doilies--
Daguerreotype of memories saved
In the tinny, gaseous air ...
Carolyn Beard Whitlow's poems have appeared in The Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review, Indiana Review The Indiana Review is a prominent literary magazine published at Indiana University. It has been published for the past 30 years. Dedicated to showcasing the talents of emerging and established writers, the Indiana Review , Crab Orchard Crab Orchard may refer to:
n. 1. The edible spinachlike leaves of the dasheen. 2. A soup or stew made of these leaves or other greens, okra, crabmeat, and seasonings. , among other journals. She is a professor of English at Guilford College Guilford College is a small, private, four-year liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina founded by the Religious Society of Friends (the Quakers). Founded in 1837 as the New Garden Boarding School, its name was changed to Guilford College in 1888 when the academic in Greensboro, North Carolina “Greensboro” redirects here. For other uses, see Greensboro (disambiguation). Greensboro, North Carolina (IPA: [ɡɹiːnsbʌɹəʊ]) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. . |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion