Author’s Note: “Observe. Be curious. Ask. That is what writers do. The seed of the poem, ‘Ghost Blankets’ was planted as I walked through parts of DC on my early morning commute. What I observed were bodies—some still asleep under blankets, some waking—blankets still wrapped around them—beginning their days. It led me to ask who these people were, who gave them these many different kinds of blankets, why we pretend not to see them. And finally, for them to ask us to see them, to hear them, to understand they are not so different from us.”
Ghost Blankets
Scattered
around the city—
in alleys, on street corners,
billowing over grates.
Blankets, miscellaneous
coverups
outlining bodies:
gray, bleak, ashy,
cotton, fleece, wool,
wet with dew or
overnight rain.
Thin throws,
ironic comforters.
Come morning,
a metamorphosis:
a body appears
a hunger arises
a ghost no longer.
Words
XXXXcascading
XXXXXXXXinto the frosty air. I’m here.
XXXXXXXXcascaSee me.
XXXXWhy is my language
XXXXso difficult to understand?
⧫
Susan Bucci Mockler teaches writing at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Her poetry has appeared in the Maryland Literary Review, peachvelvet, Maximum Tilt, Pilgrimage Press, Crab Orchard Review, Poet Lore, The Northern Virginia Review, Gargoyle, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, The Cortland Review, Paterson Literary Review, Lunch Ticket, Voices in Italian Americana, and several anthologies. Her full-length poetry collection, Covenant (With) was published by Kelsay books in 2022.
The Delmarva Review is a literary journal with strong local roots in the Delmarva. Editors have culled through thousands of submissions annually to select the most compelling new poetry, fiction, and nonfiction written today. Many writers are from the region. The review is available in paperback and digital editions from online booksellers and regional specialty bookstores. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, support comes from tax-deductible contributions and a grant from Talbot Arts with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council. Website: www.DelmarvaReview.org
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