Leaves come tumbling down
Like crumbled flames
-Red- Brown-
Amber-
Moments
Days.
Remember when
You couldn’t pass
A pile without
Jumping in
And down
Until you hit the
Dampened
bottom
With a thud?
Remember how it was-
That crackling sea
In which
You drown,
And later,
How you sunk
Inside
When Grandma
Sent it skyward
In sweet scented smoke
That curled and twisted
Up and up
Until it blended
With the steel rimmed clouds.
She poked the crematory
With a blackened stick,
While your face
Flushed
In mourning
For their final fire.
Poem by Sandra Bush
I have taught personal enrichment courses in creative writing through the Continuing Education Department of Villa Maria College/ Gannon University and the International Elderhostel Program, Parkersburg Art Center, and Blennerhassett Island State Park. I have offered workshops and classes in creative writing in PA, NY, OH, and WV. Twice, I’ve been honored with a Pearl S. Buck Award for poetry through the WV Writers and have published one chapbook, Almost An Island. My poetry has appeared in various publications including Time of Singing and Haiku Journal. I’m a native of Erie, PA currently living in Parkersburg, WV.
I remember…