SHARK REEF
A Publication of the Lopez Writers Guild
Vol. 6, No. 1
Winter 2006-07

Poetry

by Colleen Smith

 

 

Apocalypse

the sky will be black
ashen limbs falling at my feet
torn hearts bleeding in the grass
brown rabbits, green grasshoppers, black crows, red foxes
all scrambling in herds of dust and blood and pain
past my melting body
and my disintegrating eyelashes,
blowing away in the wind.
it will be empty fields of scorched wheat
and crushed forest,
it will be violence and terror­
and still
my selfish heart
will wonder
who will love me?

 

easier

this is what it is like
to love someone
who will never love you back:
it is a thorn in the chest
buried deep, drawing blood.
it is tormented sleep,
foggy dreams,
heart murmurs of desire.
it is elaborate plans
to see, touch, smell­
be close.
it is visceral and consuming,
it is perfect
because it's untouched.

 

strawberries

the dark, scarlet curve
fades to pale.
pink skin sparkling
juice dripping,
sweet
and pure.
it is sex
and summer
it is tart
and alive
it is sun and dirt
it is a new beginning.

 

 

Spiders

I look for you
beneath the bed,
inside my boots,
nestling in the folds
of my sheets.
Dark threads stuck to carpet
become lost legs
discarded in the scramble
across my floor.
Cobwebs stick to my fingers
like cotton candy
and I gasp for breath,
momentarily overwhelmed
by the thought of you­
nearby.
I trap you with glass cups
I flush you down the drain.
And when I watch you flail,
fight against your murder, your torture, your last breath,
I hold my hand to my mouth
and stare.
I am aghast at my cruelty
but thrilled to have you gone.
It's in that moment
I am ashamed
for God to see me.

Copyright © 2006 Colleen Smith

Raised on Lopez, Colleen Smith is thrilled to still be a part of our vibrant community. She is editor of The Islands' Weekly and a freelance book critic for Seattle Weekly. She can be spotted in and around the island doing her favorite activities: dancing, writing, and reading.

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