MY PARADISE
What wintry mix and stormy cloud
predominate the northern sky?
The maritime has called out loud.
I’ll pack my bag and plan to fly
to southern climes along the beach,
each breath in time a grain of sand,
each wave an instrument to teach.
With open arms I raise my hands
and swear allegiance to the sea,
trade skin for scales, remaining calm;
the transformation sets me free,
my feet become a tail of palm.
Submerged in water would be nice,
a mermaid in my paradise.
Shari Jo LeKane-Yentumi lives in St. Louis, Missouri, where she writes
poetry, prose and articles, and specializes in literary criticism and
non-profit matters. She has a B.A. in English, Spanish, and an M.A. in
Spanish from Saint Louis University in Madrid and St. Louis. Since
brain surgery, she teaches creative writing in a maximum security jail
and to people with special needs. Her novel, Poem to Follow, is
written in verse, and her book of poetry, Fall Tenderly, is currently
at press. Shari is featured in several poetry anthologies, including
the Missouri VSA 2013 Anthology, Turning the Clocks Forward Again;
Poetica Victorian; Think Pink; The Society of Classical Poets;
Snapping Twig; The Lonely Crowd; Form Quarterly; The Iconoclast;
Devolution Z; The Quarterday Review; MacrMicroCosm Literary Art
Journal: Solstice; Red Dashboard Disorder Anthology: Mental Illness
and Its Effects; The Muse India/Createspace Anthologies Of Present Day
Best Poems; Bordertown Press Poetry of People on the Move; and
Literature Today International Journals of Contemporary Literature
Vols. I & II. Shari’s poetry has appeared in several literary
magazines in the U.S., Canada, England, India, Ireland, Spain and
Wales.
Bindweed Magazine 