Page 17 - The Woven Tale Press Vol. V #7
P. 17
Thunderstart
We’re in the sea when the rain comes hard He runs to shore his legs
slick and purposeful
to build a canopy of umbrellas over our bags
on a cracked plastic chair
When he’s done
he stands and watches
to make sure it doesn’t fall
I didn’t ask him to do this to build
a thin roof over our things
I’m afraid I’ll get used to this kindness
From somewhere up in the leaves thunder starts
I worry in the water
Knowing he will come to me soon I float on my back
open my mouth
to warm rain
instead of the wavering architecture of his promises
Mohn-Slate's recent poems are forthcoming or have appeared in New Ohio Review, Crab Orchard Review, Indiana Review, Tupelo Quarterly, Poet Lore, and elsewhere. Her manuscript, The Falls, was a nalist for the 2016 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize offered by University of Pittsburgh Press, and the 2017 Blue Light Book Prize offered by Indiana Univer- sity Press/Indiana Review.
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