Two Poems by Judy Hall

Open Fire

 

I first noticed his ears

Which were too large for his head

And seemed to hear whispers

Unexpectedly

 

His hair was trimmed closely around

These olive ears, olive skin

So unpale against my freckled blueness

Dark where I am light

 

I get these passing fancies  

Obsessed with dusky collarbones

My mind going somewhere

 

Disallowed

 

Into some experimental fire

 

My carnal world is a rich inferno

Embroiling my bare skin

Setting alight my sugary heart, an

Erotic crème brulee

 

My own world is in conflict with the world without

My lascivious nature is what the psalms warn men of

Women like me have always cause consternation

Chastised for salaciousness –

Edicts are made about women like me

I will not be possessed;

Absolutely feline in nature, no one can discern my name

Only my lover knows how to entice me back home,

Both content with my humors,

My desire to be petted and then left alone.

 

So call me what you will as I take in the oliveman

Take him in as I please –

My body is my own;

My lover knows my mind and loves

The fullness of my flame.

 

 

A Poem from the Editors

Dear Ms. ___________________

Thank you for your story.

We aren’t saying that it sucks

We are just saying that it doesn’t fit with our vision.

At this time.

We know spent hours on this story.

It’s obvious that you craft your stories well.

But George didn’t like the father, and we think it may be that he has

Daddy issues himself, but we won’t say that,

And Rachel thought you needed more scenes

With less dialogue and more description of the

Hospital room because we just couldn’t see it, you know?

When you say that the tubing hung around him like slithering snakes ready to strike

Are you implying that the juxtaposition of the snake to his head was like the birth of Christ?

Because we didn’t see that.

Please send us your work again,

Please use our online submission machine

Please don’t worry if you don’t hear from us for a year

There’re only us and two grad students here.

Yours truly,

The Editors

 

 

 

Judy Hall is a teacher of English both at the high school and college level.  She has a Masters in Literature from Rutgers and is an MFA candidate at William Paterson.  She's been previously published in Outsider Ink.  She lives in New Jersey with her husband, three children, a very stupid cat named Vladimir and an evil cat named Tonks and a number of unnamed fish.