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by Lana Bella
tufts of wool,
red signals amid blue whims
of careless fingers,
she is a moving trajectory
holding on to my hand,
on the roads I’ve walked many miles
staring into men’s eyes,
bemused at their sadness,
PICASSO: LES DESMOISELLES. – Pablo Picasso: Study for Demoiselles d’Avignon. Watercolor, 1907. The Granger Collection / Universal Images Group
her hands,
holding the tea cup now,
avoiding the lipstick trail splaying
to disappointment,
her lips,
careful to sift through
the loose tea leaves and tepid water,
giving pause where
the weight of sighs is chained
to the bottom like anchors,
clicks of joints announce
her clumsy push from the table,
I turn back,
fastening still to the length of her city,
but it seems I am looking
to a distant place
where all past recedes to,
old souls float near each other
as if asleep, pale, dark faces,
all beautifully shaped,
exploded like dandelion plumes in wind,
and yet,
I am no longer welcome there,
for the woman I love most is wearing all
the bodies I left behind–
Lana Bella has published in many literary journals and has a chapbook forthcoming from Crisis Chronicles Press. She divides her time between the USA and the coastal town of Nha Trang, Vietnam. As a Featured Writer, she is willing to correspond with poets seeking advice on matters related to writing and publishing. She may be reached at lana.bella@rocketmail.com.
Photo credit: PICASSO: LES DESMOISELLES. – Pablo Picasso: Study for Demoiselles d’Avignon. Watercolor, 1907.. Fine Art. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 16 Dec 2015. http://quest.eb.com/search/140_1646718/1/140_1646718/cite