M.J. IUPPA
★ ★ ★ ★
POETRY
Image by Aayush Gop Rawat
Waking, without knowing
where I am, I seek summer’s
open window to see what exists
in the dark that pools before me
I trace the outline of sumac, rising
up against the barn, gleaming
in moonlight
as if it were memory— this hour
seemingly divine in its solitude
becomes a gateway
I can slip through, without
notice, which makes me
nostalgic
for those humid nights
where I could come and go
as I pleased
God’s Eye View
Hamlin, NY, 2022
Under thick pewter clouds, the field
of freshly cut straw gleams gold
in morning’s stillness.
No whispers, whines, or suck
of engines’ indigestion—
only the cry of a red-tail hawk
circling over this field’s thick
stubble, searching for the mouse
displaced on this occasion.
Which one of us will be the victim?
I want to close my eyes to this
scene’s intention.
I know what happens next.
Waiting for Nothing
In the stillness of summer heat, a bird’s
plaintive whistle sounds like a slow strand
of wind rustling beneath the garden’s ivy.
I glance, catching a glimpse of what is there—
a luminous carapace leaving its silver
signature, leaf to leaf, returning to its place
before it’s swept away by sudden rain . . .
Who am I to say that it’s over?
M.J. Iuppa’s forthcoming fifth full length poetry collection The Weight of Air from Kelsay Books and a chapbook of 24 100-word stories, Rock. Paper. Scissors. from Foothills Publishing, in 2022. For the past 33 years, she has lived on a small farm near the shores of Lake Ontario. Check out her blog: mjiuppa.blogspot.com for her musings on writing, sustainability & life’s stew.
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Thank you , MJ.
I love your questions.
I love your answers.
I love the idyllic in your verse.
Mary