By |

~ Originally published in the March 2024 issue of The Argyle Literary Magazine; Photo by Iryna Limborska on Unsplash

cavalier women chase

a powder-blue hat

down a windy thoroughfare

*

they balance Easter eggs

on upturned teacups

under a globular sun,

*

left hands stroking

the unruffled feathers

of a great horned owl

*

while a circle

of Slovakian tourists

marvel at their feats

*

of dexterity

and fierce bravado—

each is wearing high heels

*

after all, mounted

on roller skates,

ankles cloaked

*

in cashmere stockings,

their delicate earlobes

dripping in malachite

By |

~ a fascinating ‘nother look at an old classic

Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton on Unsplash

I’m reading a 10th grade book assignment,

one I’d merely skimmed at the time

*

it’s overwhelming what they’d endured

the hardships, the struggles, the isolation

*

they believed in, they trusted the promise

of this new Canaan, this soil-rich land

*

but, now, look where we’ve come

just look at what’s become of us

By |

he practices his form in the living room

tall windows peer out across the fairway

a slight breeze ripples through the locust leaves

my husband’s silhouette against a spring sky

By |

Photo by Parker Hilton on Unsplash

I ride a Bengal tiger

striding across the Saharan sands,

my faithful entourage flank me

to both the right and the left.

sentries guard my tent

in the chill of the desert night

while I record the day’s transactions —

twelve bolts of silk,

eighty tins of spices, a multitude

of rare birds, poisonous snakes,

gold, salt & ivory —

preserving the glories

of our pilgrimage

in a leather-bound journal,

every page rimmed

in gold leaf,

every word, homage

to our wide-eyed wanderings.