Published in Amherst Review
DARK CHEER
by Ysabel de la Rosa
Buy it. It’s brand new. Wash
your black in it, and your deepest,
ultra-indigo blue. After all,
you want your darks to stay dark,
don’t you?
“Cheer Dark.” Buy it now.
this one more product perfected
to keep protected the dark stuff
of our lives. Cheer, dark.
Had this liquid been invented
by a Salem woman to stay the black
in Puritan robes, she would have been
burned, or locked in stocks. But, oh,
how time changes – us –
and stocks,
and spells,
and
the people walk
and wash
in darkness,
launder black
and bills
while some large someone
becoming something big
curves his mouth into a thin-
lipped grin, raises a
red cut-crystal glass
and says,
“Cheers –
Dark.”
___________________________________
Published in Wisconsin Review
LET US
by Ysabel de la Rosa
for Charo
Let us cut crust from
bread, take the dark
edges away and give our children
sandwiches as soft as their hearts
Let us iron wrinkles from
rumpled fabric, taking care not to
force new creases in
Let us redo the hastily done –
refold the linens, roll the towels, tuck
a scent inside as grace note for
future memories
Let us take time for
smallness, for detail –
perhaps unseen – but not unfelt
Time to make right
the work half-done by other
hands and our own
Time to see Self for
what it is: small
small small and
Time to do what Self can
in small time on great earth,
great needy earth
Cut away the dark edges
Make the rough smooth
Correct for carelessness and haste
Small me Small you
Let us change
the world
_______________________________________
Published in Confluence
THE ORDER IN WHICH
by Ysabel de la Rosa
Sunday
silence between us
the urge to write
to you
Tuesday
the news
you were killed on Monday
afternoon
Wednesday
the word no
the word no
in my
throat mind heart
no no
no
Thursday
the ceremonial
fire consumes
your body
ashes ashes
we all fall
down
Saturday
dawns clear blue
a thick crescent moon remains
on my front step a black widow
moves in circles
moves slowly
in circles
Sunday
silence between us
silence
and still
the urge
______________________________________
Copyright, Ysabel de la Rosa. All rights reserved.
TRANS
See http://www.flashquake.org/archive/vol5iss1/poetry/index.html
DARK CHEER
by Ysabel de la Rosa
Buy it. It’s brand new. Wash
your black in it, and your deepest,
ultra-indigo blue. After all,
you want your darks to stay dark,
don’t you?
“Cheer Dark.” Buy it now.
this one more product perfected
to keep protected the dark stuff
of our lives. Cheer, dark.
Had this liquid been invented
by a Salem woman to stay the black
in Puritan robes, she would have been
burned, or locked in stocks. But, oh,
how time changes – us –
and stocks,
and spells,
and
the people walk
and wash
in darkness,
launder black
and bills
while some large someone
becoming something big
curves his mouth into a thin-
lipped grin, raises a
red cut-crystal glass
and says,
“Cheers –
Dark.”
___________________________________
Published in Wisconsin Review
LET US
by Ysabel de la Rosa
for Charo
Let us cut crust from
bread, take the dark
edges away and give our children
sandwiches as soft as their hearts
Let us iron wrinkles from
rumpled fabric, taking care not to
force new creases in
Let us redo the hastily done –
refold the linens, roll the towels, tuck
a scent inside as grace note for
future memories
Let us take time for
smallness, for detail –
perhaps unseen – but not unfelt
Time to make right
the work half-done by other
hands and our own
Time to see Self for
what it is: small
small small and
Time to do what Self can
in small time on great earth,
great needy earth
Cut away the dark edges
Make the rough smooth
Correct for carelessness and haste
Small me Small you
Let us change
the world
_______________________________________
Published in Confluence
THE ORDER IN WHICH
by Ysabel de la Rosa
Sunday
silence between us
the urge to write
to you
Tuesday
the news
you were killed on Monday
afternoon
Wednesday
the word no
the word no
in my
throat mind heart
no no
no
Thursday
the ceremonial
fire consumes
your body
ashes ashes
we all fall
down
Saturday
dawns clear blue
a thick crescent moon remains
on my front step a black widow
moves in circles
moves slowly
in circles
Sunday
silence between us
silence
and still
the urge
______________________________________
Copyright, Ysabel de la Rosa. All rights reserved.
TRANS
See http://www.flashquake.org/archive/vol5iss1/poetry/index.html
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