Tidewater
Out on the interstate the diesels plane
through the cold gray Virginia dawn, whining
and droning like saws, feet from the owner’s sign
still humming VACANCY above the chain
link fence encircling a dark green trash
bin in which two crows root. Lightning flashes
as a thunderclap booms and sheets of rain
hiss across the highway. I shut the blinds
while you quickly dress, ducking down to try and find
your wedding ring under the bed. We feign
‘the morning after’ just about as well
as our hapless dalliance whose kiss and tell
went dead at the ghostly moan of a late night train.
As you raise your head, I spot a glint of gold
on the other side, rolled near the door’s threshold.
Mark Mansfield is a rock musician and paralegal living in Arlington, Virginia. He received an MA in Writing at Johns Hopkins University last Spring. He is widely published in US and UK magazines.
Page(s) 48
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