Four poems by US poet and editor Leslie McGrath, the author of Opulent Hunger, Opulent Rage, which was a finalist for the 2010 Connecticut Book Award for Poetry, under World Poetry/Prose Portfolio curated by Sudeep Sen
Toreador Figurine Draped in Honeycomb
Let the bees do what they do —
in flight, in searching, in swiping
gold from golden
all in service to their queen.
They have waxworked the toreador’s
thin porcelain nose and rouged cheek. He peers
over the right shoulder of his traje de luces
made divine by their apian veil.
Draped over his sleek black hair
it fans at his back like a beckoning.
A nursery awaits its brood
and time’s dumb curved horn
which will tear it open, give them breath.
Shoulder Season
Four inches of snow
four hours of rain
then dozens
of robins.
Agnostic
She with
her sac
of eggs
strung between
curved wall
& clapper
doesn’t know
her world’s
a bell.
Thirst
Up from our slack river fox tracks a path
past an apple slick parched bees now occupy.
Drought has poached the tomato plants
strangled the new-planted dogwood
brought low the foragers. Poor foragers.
August, you have done your job
of exhausting us
all but the fox
who hurries to her fate.
Her fine red mettle level as water.
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