Linda Black
In the night
Fifteen drops of Valeriana laced
with Hypericum send me to
my ancestors. The arm
of my grandmother's night-dress
- wyncyette forget-me-nots,
buttons missing - laid
over my eyes, blots out
the half-light.
In my house there are rooms
I never knew existed; a space
for the moon and stars,
an extra bed. Between each tread
on stairs too sheer to climb, the gaps
expand. On an out of reach shelf,
a pleated paper parasol; remnants
in every sliding drawer. At each
about turn the walls collide;
a thousand boxes, a wardrobe
lined in silver paper, a story
beginning... Now, let me tell you...
with Hypericum send me to
my ancestors. The arm
of my grandmother's night-dress
- wyncyette forget-me-nots,
buttons missing - laid
over my eyes, blots out
the half-light.
In my house there are rooms
I never knew existed; a space
for the moon and stars,
an extra bed. Between each tread
on stairs too sheer to climb, the gaps
expand. On an out of reach shelf,
a pleated paper parasol; remnants
in every sliding drawer. At each
about turn the walls collide;
a thousand boxes, a wardrobe
lined in silver paper, a story
beginning... Now, let me tell you...
Page(s) 26
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