ELAINE REARDON
★ ★ ★ ★
POETRY
Image by Richard Jaimes
The New Girl
Beard plucked out,
face smooth, soft
page boy hair. Now
you are more girl than me.
Traveling from your past
to present, you look like
my younger self, reflected
in your young woman face.
What could I give you
to ease your transition
from young father
to a woman, I wonder.
We share these genetics.
Parts of me were hidden in you,
needing time to nudge them out.
This is your truth, your new voice.
Eduardo
His lashes were brooms you could
sweep the stairs with.
His eyes, a flash fire in a trash can,
His day-old whiskers were a rasp,
his black hair a horse’s mane.
His even teeth were the small snail shells
that line the shore on rare low tide,
his tongue agile as an octopus’s arm.
Eduardo’s smile could be
as warm as a baby’s belly,
or as broken as ice on the river
come the first warm day.
His wide shoulders were jersey
barriers that no one could pass,
his heart surrounded by a bone cage
strong enough to hold lions back.
Eduardo’s legs were bears newly woken in spring,
hungry, lean, fast to turn.
His fists were jackhammers.
His fists were jackhammers.
Elaine is a poet and herbalist. Her first chapbook, The Heart is a Nursery For Hope, won first honors from Flutter Press in 2016. Her second chapbook, Look Behind You, was published by Flutter Press in late 2019. Most recently Elaine’s poetry and essays have been published by Pensive Journal, Prospectus Literary, Naugatuck Journal, Wilda Morris Blogspot and several anthologies. elainereardon.wordpress.com
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Amazing! So powerful and thought provoking.
Beautiful, Elaine – well done!
Congratulations on your publications.
Thanks for taking the time to read and listen.
Elaine, compassion is everything. Well done.
Mimi