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Joannie Stangeland

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At the Grand Trianon

I could be regal and elegant,
my gauze rose gown sweeping
the smooth moonlit territory of marble,
tiles patterned black and white,
columns washed silver and shadow.

I would be keeping perfect time
with the music of your inner ear,
my steps in step with your pulse,
your arm around my waist,
your hand in my hand,

drawn to the clear geometry,
the plain repetition of dark and light,
as we waltzed between the wings,
shared a glance, a gasp, our lips,
a sip of the monks’ Champagne.

And—oh, for the oranges, the spring
of Versailles spilling from us,
innuendos of hedges unfolding
in coy formality, in concealment,
lights flickering on the canal.

Then I would be your lover, illicit—
whispering promises into the night—
but I am your wife,
walking across the hard floors
in ordinary daylight, my hand in your hand.

Joannie Stangeland’s chapbook Weathered Steps was published by Rose Alley Press. A Steady Longing for Flight won the Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award. Her poems have also appeared in print journals, online, and on the bus.

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