I too wobbled and fell under your beauty,
drunk from the mead of your perfumed hair,
your swooning smile . . .

yet I am trapped in this century, many eras
away from you, and I do not know
how to return to your food and drink.


My life now depends on remembering,
only remembering, and I cannot find
the place where I dropped off . . .

I believe we were by the river,
your skin warmer than the waters,
my heart more aloft than the ibis

soaring over the marsh . . . and this is
all I can find to remember, here awake,
here aghast, in this land of dams and planes

 

Artist's note:
The ancient Egyptian Harris papyrus records a woman writing poetry, "It is intoxicating to me to hear thy voice / And my life depends upon hearing thee / Whenever I see thee / It is better to me than food or drink."

Ward Kelley has seen more than 900 of his poems appear in journals world wide since he began publishing in 1996. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Kelley's publication credits include such journals as: ACM Another Chicago Magazine, Rattle, Ginger Hill, Sunstone, Spillway, Porcupine Literary Magazine, Pif, 2River View, The Rose and Thorn, Melic Review, Thunder Sandwich, The Animist, Offcourse, Potpourri and Skylark. He has been honored as featured poet for Seeker Magazine, Physik Garden, Poetry Life & Times, and Pyrowords. Recently he was the recipient of the Nassau Review Poetry Award for 2001.

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