2 June 2003 | Vol. 3, No. 2
Nerve
Fireworks threatened to take the top off. Wet palms
twitched under eruptions of happiness.
Shoes by the door piled up like pups—cornered, laces
tangled, tongues caught in a lie. Checkmark wings
on canvas heels had been tools toward anonymity,
erasing footprints where they fell, driving zigzag dogs
crazy as they nipped at nothing.
Judgments collected under the awning like rain, hummed
against the shell of her ear. Her skull slammed in her head.
Payroll hands weighed the options like so much gold.
Each day had been a map of dark topographies. Turning
into a skid would only postpone whatever came next.
Every step along a lucky streak uncovers a foreign place
tricked out with new lies and silences. Rising up to meet
the path of great good fortune, she could have done more,
if you want to know.
About the author:
Cheryl Snell's work has appeared in many journals, including Antietam Review, Petroglyph, Comstock Review, Washington Review, 2River view, Stirring, Tryst, and miller's pond. Her chapbook of poetry, Flower Half Blown, was published in 2002 by Finishing Line Press and nominated for the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry.
For further reading:
See the complete list of work by Cheryl Snell at 42opus. Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 3, No. 2, where "Nerve" ran on June 2, 2003. List other work with these same labels: poetry.
