2 March 2002 | Vol. 2, No. 1
In Venice, That November and December
17 cats ran in and
out windows that
never closed as Hari
Krishna jingled up
from Muscle Beach.
The house I stayed in
quieted by 4 in the
afternoon when every
one left for work. I
curled in a stranger's
yellow terry cloth
robe as if to soak up
some sun color. I
hoped I'd be charmed
in tight jeans and fur
jacket, imagined them
sliced from my back,
butterfly wings, as
angels and truckers
howled foxy and pulled
up close enough to
touch my arms clutch-
ing a bottle of Chianti
or scotch I hoped
would help me flare
and glitter like some
blood sun the Pacific
gulps.
About the author:
Lyn Lifshin's most recent prize-winning book is Before It's Light, winner of the Paterson Poetry Award. Originally published winter 1999-2000 by Black Sparrow press, following their publication of Cold Comfort in 1997, Before It's Light will be reprinted in 2001. Black Sparrow will continue to publish a series of her books including Blue Sheets in 2002. Lyn has published more than 100 books of poetry, won awards for her non-fiction, and edited 4 anthologies of women's writing including Tangled Vines, Ariadne's Thread, and Lips Unsealed. Her poetry has appeared in most literary magazines. Lyn is also the subject of an award-winning documentary film, Lyn Lifshin: Not Made of Glass, available from Women Make Movies. Her poem, 'No More Apologizing,' has been called 'among the most impressive documents of the women's poetry movement.' She can be reached online at lynlifshin.com.
For further reading:
See the complete list of work by Lyn Lifshin at 42opus. Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 2, No. 1, where "In Venice, That November and December" ran on March 2, 2002. List other work with these same labels: poetry.
