Photo by Diano Aballe on Unsplash
Because in the deep translucence you loved the circle
of the bracelet around my wrist as if it were
my body, it broke. But I forgive you for the miracle
of everything you shatter. Now you stir
here in the bed next to me like a drink
that desperately needs a mouth or a finger swirling
the edge of its glass until it hurts. Only in a blink
can I see inside the rim of who you are, darling,
and I want to return your affection for a moment
to the small girl who peers into the spin
cycle of her mother's washing, who loves the movement
of clothes against the quick circumference within
the barrel, an unfractured yo-yo, glowing
over itself and back, who hopes her hands keep going.
Sandra Yannone’s debut poetry collection BOATS FOR WOMEN found its perfect home with Salmon Poetry in 2019 after a 21-year journey to publication. Her poetry and book reviews have appeared in PLOUGHSHARES, PRAIRIE SCHOONER, POETRY IRELAND REVIEW, LIVE ENCOUNTERS, WOMEN’S REVIEW OF BOOKS, and elsewhere worldwide. She currently calls Olympia, WA, her most reliable rest stop.