Muse
By Iris Rosenberg
I keep my troubles in my hands. A curse has made them stiff as catcher's mitts. You see I cannot bend or flex. No pills for this. Still, others have it worse. And in my dreams I am Titian. My hand the perfect brush, slowly circling your nipples, your belly. First with red, then green. An old artist’s trick to make skin glow. We’ve seen for ourselves rooms filled with long-fingered Madonnas divined in paint the color of olives. Heaven, how much the eye can hold—even as it searches for more. Like my hands every night, longing to draw you into my arms. Though, as if alone, you lie facing the wall.
Iris Rosenberg writes poetry and fiction in New York City. She has an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute and is a former poetry reviewer for Library Journal. Her work will soon appear or has been featured in L’Esprit, Thimble, Rust & Moth, Right Hand Pointing, and Club Plum, among other literary journals.
10/16 / Poetry Reading and Conversation with visiting poet-in-residence Lisa Rhoades & local poet Yael Valencia Aldana / The BBar at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 7-8:30 pm EST / Free
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