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She turns the bedlamp on. The book falls open
in her mottled hands, and while she reads
her mouth begins to quiver, forming words
like Breathless. Promises. Elope.
As she turns the leaves, Eudora's cheek
takes on a bit of bloom. Her frowzy hair
thickens and turns gold, her dim eyes clear,
the wattles vanish from her slender neck.
Her waist, emerging from its ring of flesh,
bends to the side. Breasts that used to hang
like pockets rise and ripen; her long legs
tremble. Her eyes close, she holds her breath—
the steamy pages flutter by, unread,
as lover after lover finds her bed.
First published in Passager (1998).
Used here with the author's permission.
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Marilyn L. Taylor, former Poet Laureate of Wisconsin and the city of Milwaukee, is the author of three full-length collections of poetry (most recently, Outside the Frame: New and Selected Poems) and five poetry chapbooks. Her essays and poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals and she has been awarded First Place in several national, international, and regional poetry competitions. Marilyn is a member of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the Wisconsin Writers Association, and currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Third Wednesday and Verse-Virtual poetry journals. Learn more about Marilyn who lives in Madison, Wisconsin, at www.mltpoet.com.
     
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transitions:
I love it, love the rhyme whiich makes the sad truth of it a joyous thing. Our hearts don't age...
Judy
Posted 04/16/2015 12:31 PM
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njc:
Love this! I can now see my elderly, widowed mother-in-law with her romance novels.....perfect.
Posted 04/16/2015 11:28 AM
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bbatcher:
hilarious
Posted 04/16/2015 11:02 AM
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msruff:
Beautiful, yet so sad.
Posted 04/16/2015 10:33 AM
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paradea:
I love this!!
Posted 04/16/2015 07:46 AM
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nivermoore:
Some really lovely words in here...
Posted 04/16/2015 06:10 AM
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