THREE WORKS
BY BARBARA FLETCHER
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FERRIS-WHEEL
From my ninth-floor window
I see the fair lights spin pinwheels,
orange and familiar.
And I am back at the Fall Fair,
with the aromas of french fry grease
and pungent onions, the odour of animals
and truck exhaust strong
even while waiting at the top
of a rusted red ferris-wheel.
Swinging suspended in drizzled air,
there is beer on his breath
as he moves toward me,
eyes shut, lips outstretched.
I relent, but wait for the moment
when the carriage swings downward,
knocks his head backward, and
fills my nose instead with
the arrival of Autumn:
the crispness that breaks
under feet like leaves,
and the dampness of earth
that floats up in smoke, buoyant
up and away from a clinging small town,
to safe distances across cities.
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WORDS
I kept words in my pocket
shoved down my shirt and
packed under my fingernails.
I collected them, protected them,
placed them in small white envelopes
to keep them clean -- except
for the dirty ones; those I slid
under the elastic of panties
or into my shoes to bounce
around with the gravel, dirt
and tiny stones.
But now I hide words in my mouth.
I like the taste of them. And if
I open my lips a tiny crack,
they can peek out, see the world a little.
(After all, I'm not that selfish).
I am selfish.
Now I will not even rinse with mouthwash.
I want to keep the words to myself,
my own cultured bacteria. Want to enjoy
the feel of them hugging my gums,
rolling from side to side
as they bounce off my teeth,
click against enamel, tickle
my tongue as they try to escape.
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ARCHES
You examine my horizontal framework
as an architect, inspecting arches
in my building of bones.
Your hands gauge the volume of space
hidden within the foot foundation. You scan
the inclination of shin, the curve of calves.
Your palms press the bows of knees to survey
the stability of ivory archways.
Fingers inch upward to measure the circumference
of thigh, apply pressure to the bend of hip, assess
the resulting arch of back. Your hands appraise
the cushioned camber, estimate the curve of torso.
You palm breast-domes, analyze with fingertips
the area of each twin cupola, calculate
the sine-curved distance between breastbone and
neckcircle, and curvature of jaw.
One hand holds the cheekbone convex
as your other fingers touch protrusion of lip,
explore the vault of mouth with curving bone roof.
And when you withdraw your dampened fingers,
you reach only for your notebook
to record your observations.