Jeannie's First Curlby Jeanne René

Grace, Joey, Eugene, Tony, Tina, Vera, Jay

     “I’ll ride with you to Gracie’s rosary.”

intonation peculiar
voice muffled by layers of exhaustion

     “Sure, Ma, that’s fine.”

pause inflated by a sigh
suctioning of memory
raising her chest to a lifetime
releasing the inevitability
clarification of goodbye

succumbing to a dull embrace
     “Everybody’s gone.”
listen
inhalation
exhalation

accents of perplexity
     “Everybody's gone.”

talk . . . just talk
rounding corners of silences
so many heartbeats stolen

     “The envelope says Jeannie’s first curl.”

voice sits upon a quaver
she drifts
to the kitchen table

arms cradling her newborn



jeanne rené 4/05

... a kiss to end a dream on by Jeanne René

Raising his head
to the afternoon,
a touch
of life
smiled upon one more day,
I give with my embrace,
time
to see
my father sit
beside me.

My hands move
over
shoulder blades,
distended
plantive points,
angles of his disillusion
drawn taunt
over
waste and prostration,
jaundiced laughter,

and silence.
My hands move
hushed
along
bone
of my backbone,
massaging memories
to circulate lingering
recollections
too hard to bare
in the daylight.

The hour wanes
and there waits
my rocking chair.

Lie back
down
upon your pillow
my father's dreams
with a kiss,

and Satchmo's sweetness
whispering softly
in your ear.



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