Publication
Article
Psychiatric Times
First Date
Author(s):
The scar on her sternum is a zipper . . . opened once to reveal her heart,. . . . the smooth arc of her breasts
The scar on her sternum is a zipper
opened once to reveal her heart,
the smooth arc of her breasts
untouched since the bypass
fifteen hundred nights ago.
His body lies beside hers
pale as skim milk
after radiation scoured
the wild cells
from his marrow.
Like lonely travelers who plan
to meet in a foreign city
they have shared their stories
on the web,
how their return from the dead
troubles friends
the way gypsies disturb tourists
with sad eyes and outstretched hands.
And tonight in an airport motel,
each reveals one last secret
like a prisoner
who rips a silver coin
from a coat’s silk lining
to seal a sacred oath.
