A new poem appears in the 2007 anthology OUT OF LINE:
My Daughter Reads The Morning Paper
She opens the world
as a present unwrapped slowly,
unsure if it might be her heart’s desire
or a sensible pair of socks to replace the one
with holes. Unraveling the morning paper,
she comes to expect the small wars,
the persistent headlines about this tragedy
or that, the occasional stories of everyday people
triumphing against the odds. Mostly she loves
the comics, the heroism of sports, learning
the world’s humor, a taste for winning.
Twelve years of tenderness are woven
through the strands of her heart,
the softly spun gray matter
cupped in her skull more precious
than radium or plutonium, the potent
half-life of her soul glowing now
as it meets the lost half of the world:
I hear it calling her in the earthquakes of Iran,
the tin-cities of Brazil, the picture on the back page,
the one she doesn’t mention, the one
she peers at as though the world, unwrapped,
was more than she could dare
to care this much for.
Out of Line is an annual anthology of imaginative writings with underlying themes of Peace and Justice. Sam Longmire, editor.
“Out of Line combines a passion for justice and peace with a passion for excellent literature. Whether the poems, stories, and essays focus on war, racial injustice, child abuse, or any of a number of other issues, they are well-crafted and moving. Each issue inspires me both to improve my writing and to increase my commitment to make this a better world for everyone.”
– Wilda Morris, President, Illinois State Poetry SocietyThis poem also appears in my book THE JEWELED NET OF INDRA from Plain View Press.