With barren feet
I step on withered roses.
Out of warm blood-drops,
Memories will bloom
As I walk in the long since deserted house
Straining to hear
My grandmother’s echoing chants,
My earthly father’s forgotten voice.
From specks of dust and wind
I shall reassemble my Mother`s smile,
As my eyes dance away from cracked walls
Then turn to the sky above;
To the aloof,
Benevolent,
Nostalgic sky.
Sunset to sunrise, I will walk the gardens
Till Sleep comes for me and finds me
Hidden
In a deep fissure
Near a tall window
Because, you see, I have always needed high, large spaces.
Afterwards, my child will come
In search of me and of a smile
Embedded in bricks and mortar.
The house itself shall fall apart,
Cars will enter the rose garden,
And a new highway will be built over it;
Only then, will my family and I, utterly free from space
Will move to the sky,
To the best place to gaze upon
Strange people we have never met
With detachment,
Condescendence,
And nostalgia.
About the Poet
Virginia Mateias is the result of two cultures and draws her creative inspiration from her European roots and her North American perspective. Passionate about almost all art forms, she has published two volumes of poetry to date. Her poetry has been called by literary critics “original and unique”. Virginia loves nature, travel and all the little things that give life beauty and meaning.
For the first time in nearly five years, Vita Brevis is closed for submission. Read the full story here.
Vita Brevis Press. 