i’ve got a jam that’ll make you go
tappin’ clappin’ whistlin’
stars and sunsets--
a sticky song a nightingale envies
a refrain ringin’ with gardenias and birthstones
growin’ beats beats beats
the heart is alive after tightness and strain
and it won’t refrain from lovin’ and feelin’-- smooth
my melody’s got no edges
no nicks or tricks
it rose from ripened fruit
an indisposed ray
some inherited spoils-- reconstructed
nothin’ in my song is wasteD
some say not intricatE,
that it’s missing a labyrinth
they don’t know my tunE
how it came from the gut
the grit in my Palms
the jagged silhouette of hunger
growlin’ frettin’ pressin’
tryin’ to escape to make it out okay
i was starvin’
i was holdin’ on fightin’
prayin’ for a silver lining
inside the belly of a whale.
A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net-nominee, Elaine Nadal is the author of two poetry chapbooks: When and Sweat, Dance, Sing, Cut, published by Finishing Line Press. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in several journals and anthologies. Nadal has shared her work at many venues. She recently did a TEDx talk on hope, poetry, and music.
Comments