Smoke and Shadow

Anne Minoff



inside moon and shadow
a man and a woman
enshrined in the dark shine
their love making their bodies rise
into a soft smoke that lingers
in the mind on the back of some star
when the morning forces itself
and the day begins before my feet touch

the caretaker cannot come today
my sister does not tolerate sickness
and death frightens her
a short ride past small town cafes and corner markets
until we stand on opposite sides of the white metal bed
our mother dying in increments
eyes close then open then close again
the light lingering on the top of her head
her white hair shimmers as her hand
reaches to mine, my sister’s mouth narrows
and the war is on
the tedious discharge of an unhappy life

I look across the bed to the cold outline of New York
invoking the smell of smoke and shadow
will you lie besides me
even if you are not real
lie here
anyway


 
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I graduated from New York University with a degree in philosophy and continued my education at the National College of Chiropractic in Illinois. I received my Doctorate of Chiropractic in 1982. I currently teach classes on Qigong and Kabbalah. My work is forthcoming or has been published in The Alembic, Amarillo Bay, Blood Lotus, California Quarterly, The Chaffin Journal, The Distillery, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Emprise Review, Harpur Palate, Jewish Women’s Literary Annual, The Literary Review, Lullwater Review, Nimrod, Pearl, Porcupine, Quiddity Literary Journal, and Sacred Journey: Journal of Fellowship in Prayer.