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Ona Gritz - Washington Square, 1982 |
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Walk through Washington arch and anything
might happen. First day breaking eighty.
You, a girl of twenty. High tops, no Mabeline,
sundress flowing like fountain water
down your thighs. Men swallow swords.
Magic Zack levitates his cigarette.
Boys on skateboards leap off ledges,
land like cats. You listen for his guitar, find him
singing "Sweet Melissa" to a slew of willing girls.
Today it’s you who wins his crooked smile.
At "Heaven’s Door" you add your voice
in perfect pitch. Potter’s Field may lay beneath
your feet but you’re pulsing, a wealth of summer
days before you. Sun on your shoulders like mink.
Ona Gritz is the author of two children's books, Starfish Summer (HarperCollins, 1998) and Tangerines and Tea (Harry N. Abrams, forthcoming 2005). Her poetry was included in the Anthology, Which Lilith? and has appeared or is forthcoming in The Paterson Literary
Review, Wicked Alice, Moment, Poetry East, The American Voice, Home Planet News, Heresies, Poetica, Lily, and Ekphrasis, where she was a finalist for the 2004 Ekphrasis prize.
(Photo courtesy of Ed Tadiello Studio)
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