Deconstruction
This is the heart that house built—
partitioned, scrubbed, sanitized, dipped
twice in what was, once in what will be
(if, if, if), the smell of smoke
or bread or dog or dead (all, all, all)
swirling too quickly from room to room,
memory to memory, settling at long last
in the dank well of the hidden cellar
from where, three stories above,
the cloistered heart listens hard
to remember the sharp
picket fence opening
or closing, the scent
and wheeze of breeze,
of before.
–
Marjorie Maddox—LHU English professor, assistant editor of Presence—has published 11 collections of poetry, What She Was Saying (prose), 4 children’s/YA books, Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania. Forthcoming in 2021: Begin with a Question (Paraclete) and her collaborative collection with photographer Karen Elias, Heart Speaks, Is Spoken For (Shanti Arts).
Dr. Karen Elias, who taught college English for 40 years, is an artist/activist, using photography to raise awareness about climate change. Her award-winning work appears in private collections and galleries. She serves as board member of the Clinton County Arts Council, as membership chair, and as curator of the annual juried photography exhibit.