And so the day begins with you
explicating last night’s dream
about the way she stroked your cheek
with her arresting smile and lured
you toward a dark-eyed kiss before
you fought her off explaining
it would be criminal beyond
the ordered bounds of law
because the fact is I’m downstairs
in muddy garden clothes and sleepy hair
waiting for your lips so I can ditch
my coffee cup and stubborn poem
to wage my outdoor chores
and you’re telling me you’re telling her
you never swore a vow or wear
a wedding ring but when stray nights
tempt you toward a luscious offering
you walk away you’re telling me
you are faithful even in your dreams.
—Previously published in The Wild Ones (Issue 1, January 2015); republished here by author’s permission
After forty years in the business and academic worlds, Carolyn Martin is blissfully retired in Clackamas, Oregon, where she gardens, writes, and plays with creative friends. Since the only poem she wrote in high school was red-penciled “extremely maudlin,” she is still amazed she continues to write.
Her poems have appeared in a variety of publications including Persimmon Tree, Stirring, Naugatuck River Review, and Antiphon. Her second collection The Way a Woman Knows was released in February 2015 by The Poetry Box (Portland, OR).
From 2010–2014, Carolyn served as president of the board of VoiceCatcher, a nonprofit that connects, inspires, and empowers women writers and artists in greater Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. During her tenure she spearheaded the organization’s move into online publishing. Between Fall 2012 and Winter 2015, VoiceCatcher: a journal of women’s voices & visions attracted more than 30,000 first-time visitors.