VERITY
the madrigal, volume iv
Letter to Her
by alexander etheridge
It's you translating the earth‒‒
september scale and alphabet
It's the ribbon
and white aster petals
in your hair
hands at rest an absolution
of mirror and root
Your name means snow
on the pomegranate
*
amnesty of sight
It’s your hand in the drifting sycamores
Your name means
sleeper in the young wheat ‒‒ field after field
learning the morning
And when alone we ask for you
Little kingfishers
carry the thread of your breathing
Alexander Etheridge has been developing his poems and translations since 1998. His poems have been featured in The Sojourn, The Parallax, The Cafe Review, The Dawntreader, Abridged Magazine, Susurrus Magazine, The Journal, and others. He was the winner of the Struck Match Poetry Prize in 1999.