Breath & Shadow
Fall 2019 - Vol. 16, Issue 4
"Broom and Dustpan"
written by
Fay Loomis
I stretch paralytic limbs,
return coriander to shelf.
Hand fumbles, bottle hurtles
to floor, rolls over tiles.
Spirals of glass interlace with
pungent umber ribbons of spice.
I want to cry, bemoan my stroke-affected life;
surrender, clean up the mess—rejoice.
Fay L. Loomis, a nemophilist (haunter of the woods, one who loves the forest, its beauty, and its solitude), lives in upstate New York. Her hauntings were abruptly ended by a stroke more than a year ago. She is beginning to take short walks in her driveway.
An active member of the Stone Ridge Library Writers, her poems and prose have appeared in print and online publications, including The Beacon, Soul-Lit, Pan’s Shadow, Twisted Endings, Healing Power of the Imagination Journal, Halcyon Days, A Quiet Courage, Peacock Journal, Postcard Poems and Prose, Watershed Review, and River Poets Journal.