Three Poems by Batnadiv HaKarmi Mothwings by Stela Brix Marsupials If only we were kangaroos. Expelled from the womb to hop in a pouch and hide in its dense darkness. There we would listen to the shush-shush heartbeat of a distant mother until the sun breaks through. Vespers (Sapphic stanzas) There is no such thing as unconditional love, my father says, so I do not believe in it either, quailing under anger like bricks about to plummet. Eyes closed, turn your face to the water beating over your back, counting vertebra, coating skin, warm lapping tongue making your boundaries suddenly glisten. Last light fading. Listen to birds sing down day, croon the bruised sky better, as late rays finger windows, and dusty residue is lit in startling glory. Finds of the Day Let me declare the gatherings of the day: Sunlight pouring through the curtains; pink cap on an ink bottle; walking down cracked gray paths; daisies in bloom; bitter coffee; scraps of memory: fried zucchini flowers, Roman artichokes shaped like roses. The waiting peace of the in-between hours not-morning, not-noon, when the orange tree glows. Phone arguments about money and halls stale guilt; and what can’t be undone. Troubled buzz. Hints of loss. Empty park, shadowed walls, a swarm of ants with wings like soap bubbles. My footfall beats, How do you make a poem? Always, everywhere, they happen on their own. About the Author: Batnadiv HaKarmi is an American-born writer and painter living in Jerusalem. A graduate of the Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Bar Ilan University, her work has been published in Poet Lore, Ilanot Review, Poetry International, MomEgg Review and Partial Answers. She is the recipient of the Andrea Moria Prize for Poetry, and was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... Published by fragmentedvoices A small, independent press based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and Prague, the Czech Republic View all posts by fragmentedvoices