NEWS PEOPLE
Skin made of newspaper: black on
white with patches of war, murder,
weather and empty crossword
boxes. They stand
face forward with legs spread, verbs
for eyes, seeing the
doing, and curved dark
tears. The Daily.
But oh to be the Sunday Comics.
Bent at the waist, they ride the northbound
bus, left by a child tired from a day,
a long journey of unwanted travel.
A grandmother who always carries
scissors in her purse to snip out
clothing tags or carve a person.
A man in the next seat who reads
without seeing then gladly
hands the world over
to be re-shaped into
pirates and movie starlets or a family
with too many mothers.
And even in the dark garage
where they are swept
and crumpled, they still
shout from bins in rain
or, burning, whisper partial
names of those
convicted, those set free.
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Joanne M. Clarkson is the author of two collections of poems: Pacing the Moon (Chantry Press) and Crossing Without Daughters (March Street Press). Her work has appeared recently in Paterson Literary Review, Valparaiso Review, Caesura, and Hospital Drive. She holds a Master’s Degree in English and has taught, but currently works as a Registered Nurse specializing in Hospice and Community Nursing. Joanne lives in Olympia, Washington, with her husband, James.