42opus
is an online magazine of the literary arts.
22 May 2007 | Vol. 7, No. 1
Feathers Ghazal
We want the other life, the one with chandeliers and feathers.
We carry our hearts to the back yard and bury them in feathers.
When I opened the front door the moon erupted.
I called to the crows and was answered by feathers.
"I know what life's about," you said. You wanted me to talk.
I left you in the den, cataloging your feathers.
Shadowed by buildings, I ran towards the subway.
Under my coat a red dress spilled feathers.
Do I remember how we spoke—its distant news, its whistle?
Today I am speechless inside the feathers.
About the author:
Susan Denning has poems forthcoming or recently published in New York Quarterly, Pindledyboz, The Bedside Guide to No Tell Motel – 2nd Floor, and elsewhere. She lives in Portland, edits Caffeine Destiny, and works at Literary Arts as the program director for the Oregon Book Awards and Oregon Literary Fellowships.
Source:
http://42opus.com/v7n1/feathersghazal
