bruised skies

the two shared promises 

beneath her bruised skies 

they vowed no more wandering 

the angled, littered, 

filthy alleys between the towering bricks 

of Newark, New Jersey

 

the trolley left Belleville behind 

and soon Amtrak made short order 

of disappearing Central Station   

into the smell of the past  

whipping in the foggy air  

that dragged behind the train  

the engine pushed furiously  

away from the gray and blue city-scape 

until he could feel the warm and loving Sun 

of Southside Virginia  

pressing through the passenger windows 

and from the Staples Mill station 

he drove her out of the capital city 

until the street lamps turned to fence rails 

and stars she had never seen  

burst out of the urban haze 

he watched each one pierce her eyes  

in a priceless moment 

while he drove 

the cool, speckled sky assured her 

that its bruises were healing 

 

Reviews

[Brittany Zedalis]

"pressing through the passenger windows". Man, I can almost see it.

Taking the step to finally leave and stop wondering may be tough, but worth it.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I like the animation of the sky and the bruises...and I like the part about NJ...my aunt and cousin still live in Belleville---

the trolleys gone, Illinois central gone...and now slamtrack...ugh...

and I remember the alleyways of Jersey City when we would visit my dad's mom....

lots of them...we bounced rubber balls off the walls.

I felt nostalgic reading this.

[Woody]

mesmerizing journey. I enjoyed every step of the way. every time I read excellent poetry like this one, I promise myself to stop pretending to write poems. some people never learn!

[Lydia Shutter]

Beautifully written. The imagery was so vivid, I could picture the landscape through the train window. When someone trusts enough to leave the past behind, the bruises do heal. Lydi**