Flush
Barbara Daniels
for Sarah
You lean toward
God—tower, column,
arch, arrow slit,
cover yourself
with silver glitter,
embody the logic
of forms—transom,
oculus, apse. I admire
what’s earthly—
Mysteries darken
your fingernails.
I alter my clothes,
imbue them with
ornament. Physically
I can’t resemble you
but secretly I turn
into you. The clanging
blouse you wear, your
Christmas-tree earrings,
artist’s tattoos. Like you
I am animate, flush
suffusing my shoulders
and arms. Night and
stars tangle my hair.
Barbara Daniels’ Talk to the Lioness was published by Casa de Cinco Hermanas Press. Her poetry has appeared in Qwerty, Image Journal, and Rogue Agent and elsewhere. She has received four fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.