In Sight
How many times have I seen you—just so—
brow furrowed, walking centered
down a tiled aisle
bordered with a world
full of choices, undeterred
or distracted, your path
straight ahead, holding your own
hand, close, neatly
tucked in, a perfect home
inside your head,
something up your sleeve.
*
Cruising Altitude
A bright wedge between two darknesses—
land below, sky above— at dusk
as seen from my airplane window,
clouds stretch on the horizon,
a blanket for the coming night,
a hedge against despair.
*
Madrigal
In the other part of someone else’s house
conversation flows—
a concerto— weaving in and out,
rising and falling, comfortable
silences, and then
resumption
as the cello tones resound,
a tremolo of laughter,
harpsichord adding notes
of harmony, shared history.
No words reach me
where I lie for now
on a borrowed mattress,
an outsider, listening in,
reveling in the music,
afraid to interrupt the flow,
I hesitate, await the coda.
*
Betsy Mars is a prize-winning poet, a photographer, and publishes an occasional anthology through Kingly Street Press. She is an assistant editor at Gyroscope Review. Poetry publications include Rise Up Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, New Verse News, Sky Island, and Minyan. She is a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee. Betsy’s photos have been featured in RATTLE’s Ekphrastic Challenge, Spank the Carp, Praxis, and Redheaded Stepchild. She is the author of Alinea and co-author of In the Muddle of the Night with Alan Walowitz.
As always, wonderful
Wow, Laurie. I’m speechless. Thank you so much.
Oh beautiful poet, I love how all three of these poems seem to speak to liminality, to in between-ness, to somehow being in two worlds at once …
Thank you, Rosemerry. That’s such an insightful comment – it is so uncannily accurate to my situation right now. I didn’t deliberately put that in there, but you are incredible at reading between the lines, and maybe subconsciously, that is what I was putting out there. So grateful for your reading, listening, hearing.
Such beautiful poems — I especially love
a blanket against the coming night,
a hedge against despair
(and)
a tremolo of laughter
Thanks so much, Gloria. I saw you have a poem on Silver Birch. I can’t wait to read it.
Thank you, Gloria. I very much appreciate finding your comments. I saw you have a poem on Silver Birch – I always love your poems and look forward to reading it.