A Poem

Trillium

– for Annie Mae Gudger and Walker Evans

nothing stands between us, her

place a matter of light

distance too small to see this

rained second she

blooms from the wood

tendrils curling

brown skin ringed with

sun, stars’ inward glance

I want to look, to

look away, torn between this face

that shack, the same word

in two languages

but nothing takes

not the curl, not

seeds, not her

hands, her dress carries

flowers an erratic blessing

rainfall’s moment hung

between the soft hollow

of her neck, cheekbones receding

back into wood seams

This poem first appeared in the literary journal Abraxas.

Gail Lukasik is the author of the Door County mystery novels Destroying Angels and Death’s Door. Her work has appeared in over 50 literary journals. She has taught writing and literature at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Gail lives in Libertyville, Illinois and soon in Egg Harbor.