Confection

By James T. Stemmle

PROMPT—During Covid-19 ...

my life partner makes one journey each day

down the stairs on artificial knees

with painful feet toes crossed arthritically

to her place of physical confinement

wondering is there anything left to abandon

so to celebrate what remains

in shrunken horizons

repressed

and in constant danger

of irrupting to consciousness

neighborhood news

of the crippled woman’s portly husband

helping her up one evening last week

collapsing with a heart attack

spending the night on the floor

until the cleaning lady came

at least I’m not that bad off

at least I can still fight with my wife

reading the Times now

how pandemic confinement stresses couples

breaks some while others cope unhappily

advice on fighting with your spouse

old enough to remember

that slew of ancient mariner books

the same advice recycled as if new

offered with a fresh coat of paint

but still the same old story

nothing new under the sun

and speaking of sun,

it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood

immersed in birdsong

sitting on the porch

with gentle breezes

and someone you love and fight with

could become a thin place

where divinity might break in

at any moment

believing and hoping

inside a confection of dreams and memories

there are still delights to be had

and little saving satisfactions

---

James T. Stemmle is an old man, currently living retirement in Riderwood, a hundred acre senior village in Maryland, with his wife of 58 years. He writes poetry during morning meditations on a bench by a pond with time off to greet passers-by with a cheerful good morning. He had a Federal Government career mostly with the EPA, earned a doctorate from Catholic U in Chemistry, and was born in Louisville, KY. He is eager to share his poetry. Already he has published 45 poems in such literary magazines as: The Octillo Review, Evening Street Review, The Raven’s Perch, Deep South Magazine, Hektoen International: A Journal of Medical Humanities, Literary Veganism: An Online Journal, Cheofpleirn Press, Seattle Star, Poetry Superhighway, Open Arts Forum, Journal of Expressive Writing, The Light Ekphrastic, Midway Journal, Literary Heist, Open Door Poetry Magazine, The Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Poetry Pacific, The Indian Review, The Oakwood Literary Journal, Boshemia, ArLiJo, Réapparition Journal, The Front Range Review, and Narrative Northeast.