What It Takes

1. Stray Dog Lament

I have circled this block
all morning
I have traveled years
back to when
voices were kinder
and I did not repel
what I love most

2. Love Letters of Wayward Girls

Wayward girls
who lead with the chin
through their lives
write love letters
that are never signed
or sent
but are tucked away
beneath french lace
and hose with runs

3. On the Ride at the Haytonville Fair

You and I spinning
ever faster
past that summer's prime
before the ride wound down
the season severed

4. What It Takes to Leave You

Guts
Swift legs
And a mind
for other matters

Valerie Anthony
Contents | Mudlark No. 1
Saturday Night Trilogy | Bury the Dead