The woman who won’t take a lover
The afternoon slowly trickles between
her spread fingers, over her forehead,
into her closed eyes. She lets herself sink
to the floor, onto her knees.
Hard wood, splinters, rusty nails
mark her flesh.
An insect buzzes, thuds against
the dirty windowpane.
Today she feels equally
trapped. No wings or vision.
Dust motes settle.
She is still.
From the park children’s summer voices.
A goldfinch in the nearby pine.
The clock’s pendulum’s familiar rhythm.
Nothing has her attention
except the swelling of her lust.
Barbed wire cuts into her upper thigh.
A drop of blood congeals.
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Rose Mary Boehm is a German-born British national living and writing in Lima, Peru, and author of two novels as well as eight poetry collections. Her poetry has been published widely in mostly US poetry reviews (online and print). She was three times nominated for a ‘Pushcart’ and once for ‘Best of Net’. Do Oceans Have Underwater Borders? (Kelsay Books, July 2022), Whistling in the Dark (Cyberwit, July 2022), and Saudade (December, 2022) are available on Amazon. Also available on Amazon is a new collection, Life Stuff (Kelsay Books, November 2023). https://www.rose-mary-boehm-poet.com/
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Stone Poetry Quarterly 