Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Night In

 

It’s my favorite thing right now.

 

Cilantro leaves, Mexican crema,

one just-right creamy avocado,

zest of lime,

and juice, too.

 

Freshly-ground black pepper.

Salt, salt, salt.

 

Pulse, pulse, pulse

in the food processor—

and so, so smooth

 

on shrimp tacos, a cod fillet,

just to dip with a chip,

 

or each of our fingertips.

The pulse, pulse, pulse together

and salt, salt, salt

of us

 

in the desert;

jazz and sunset hues

seasoning us

 

in fiery orange, luscious pink,

and dreamy blues.

 

 

© 2024 Jennifer Wagner

 

 

Sanaa over at dVerse Poetics has us Exploring the Senses in Food Poetry (I’m too late for the link, but here’s my response).

 

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Windswept

 

Photo © 2024 Jennifer Wagner

The bones of my legs feel hollow,

wind tangles my hair,

 

the sun, past noon,

nudges my back

 

as my silhouette makes

a thin sketch limned in the dust.

 

I couldn’t read the room

for the call of too many voices,

 

or absence of one.

That’s why I’m out here

 

with the other nomads

like spent leaves

 

clustered around the edge

looking down into

 

the cold kisses

of the Colorado.

 

My skin, too, is cracking

with time—a horse

 

galloping away

back over my shoulder.

 

I glance at the oil left in my lamp

with a sense that I’m still waiting

 

for the wind to return

my spent voice

 

swallowed up

in the rush of deep black river,

 

to ride its echo back

to that which once was lush, was green.

 

 

© 2024 Jennifer Wagner

 

The Sunday Whirl