Enough Light to Harbor
Where is that sea, that once solved the whole loneliness
of the Midwest?
— James Wright
The vacancy of atheist prayers and too much wine
walk me out to Montrose Harbor.
Dad said that in AA you don’t have to accept God,
just that something is greater than yourself.
I press my palms together, tell the lake
I’ve always had trouble loving the whole
of a man, so I started with the dip in his shoulders
and ended with a strand of hair too dark to be mine.
I bought multivitamins today, which is the opposite
of killing myself. All my dreams are in French,
but I can’t understand the sounds. I say
endless, something about light pollution
and gunshots, two hampers of dirty laundry
and no quarters, a guitar I can’t play.
A man who looks too much like him, all beard
and bones and blue jeans, walks toward me,
then turns. I am the morning’s torn lace
and aches, which will have to be enough.
If I walked into the lake, I don’t think it’d leave.
The lake keeps licking the sand like I like,
which will have to be enough.
—
This selection comes from Stevie Edwards’ book Good Grief, available from Write Bloody Publishing! Purchase your copy here!
Stevie Edwards is a poet, editor, and educator. Her first full-length collection of poetry, Good Grief, was published by Write Bloody in 2012 and subsequently won the Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze in Poetry and the Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award. Her second book, Humanly, is forthcoming from Small Doggies Press in 2015. She is Editor-in-Chief of Muzzle Magazine and Acquisitions Editor at YesYes Books. She lives in a castle in Ithaca, NY.
Darren C. Demaree is the author of three poetry collections, As We Refer to Our Bodies (2013, 8th House), Temporary Champions (2014, Main Street Rag), and Not For Art For Prayer (2015, 8th House). He is the recipient of three Pushcart Prize nominations and a Best of the Net nomination. He is also a founding editor of Ovenbird Poetry and AltOhio. He is currently living in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and children.
