Dusk Falls On The Hand Of Fatima *
You have to see Salamanca for yourself-
all that light and tangents of stone:
sky cobalt blue, storks on rooftops,
buildings colored like ripe wheat,
doors opening to the hand of Fatima.
Tourists wander streets
which do not remember them, faceless
footsteps over ground travelled
by Christopher Columbus, El Cid.
What remains are inventories
written in bull’s blood and olive oil
across university walls: the names
of medieval students revealed
layer upon layer in a palimpsest of success.
Swallows arabesque above Casa de Las Conchas,
the sun’s radiance etched into its scalloped façade.
You pay for a beer, sit among the murmur of crowds.
Later you will strive to recall this experience,
and it will feel like your hand sliding
across a sheet of silk.
*Regional door knocker.
SINGING THE BONES
Ozette, where the jaw bones sing
in splintered ivory notes.
Where the oracle speaks to the sea,
and grass whips across rocks
whispering the sound of wind.
Time has driven into the center
of these wooden carcasses,
shades of grey and brown
rotting through centuries
of salty air. Their long bones
bleached white, spill across
darkened stumps
and mankind's synthetic detritus.
Seal sirens wallow by the shore
lamenting time's passage.
They chant quietly in Latin verse:
"Tibia, Fibula, Tarsal, Scapula,"
displaying seaweed hair, and kelp
woven clothes, squinting life
into a slit on the horizon.
As I gaze out to sea,
my auricles curve to the prophecy,
this opera of what might be,
and what has gone before.
These wishbones bracket my heart,
then break with superstition.
I do not hear my voice,
but the wind, singing its ancient
rhythms through my bones.
(TAPJoE 1995)
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Sharon Carter obtained her medical degree at Cambridge University, England. She immigrated in 1979 and lives in Washington State, home of Mt St Helen, Seattle and fabulous Puget Sound. She enjoys backpacking, skiing, long bicycle rides (and soon) kayaking. Yes, it rains a lot in the Emerald State, but who cares if you have Gortex. She supports her writing and visual art by working in a mental health clinic.
Web Page created and designed by Sharon Carter.
October 1st 1998.
Portrait by Pamela Dionne.
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