By: Margaret Galey
b r o k e
n
nothing
happened
that day as
I was hoping
glassafterglass &
no one sang
hands pressed
too hard
on screen doors &
covered faces
I sd at least I thought
there’d be more magpies
stashesofshiny
like you’ve never seen
I sd I walk faster
than most
but keeping up
easily
you learned
to fall behind
will these memories float
in the floods? you askd &
I sd force of nature
doesn’t describe
the urge to wash
on down this river .
h o m e a g a i n
little lifetimes
chokedback&breaking off
too big to swallow
it’s that time of year
take up fresh yoke
till by hand & kiss the land
invisible everywhere
cluttered & calculated porches
now blank as a spoon
always changing this
weighted&cloudy dreamscape
of hallowed grounds & precious polaroids
locals break into vacation homes
purely for spite
& easy thrills
lawn ornaments & bloated woodwork
from here to eternity in a covered dish
welcome home
muddled berries in this drink
seems less than perfect
considering the circumstances
I sent my heart
preserved with hairpins
one last time &
the colors could have been stronger
I must admit
I should have pressed harder.
Margaret Galey is an Iowa-born artist and writer living in Lexington, Kentucky. Her work has appeared in "Hyperallergic Weekend," & forthcoming in "High Shelf Press," "The Raw Art Review," & "The Midwest Review". More of her work can be found at: www.WantReaction.com.
"These pieces are among my favorites from my current manuscript entitled "it took everything" which grew out of a writing project with an artist friend, and emerged as a look back on a difficult time in my recent past. “h o m e a g a i n” and “b r o k e n” touch on the exhaustion of grief as it melds with the desire and hope for new, for better."