Ekphrastic poem from Untitled (Woman’s face between blankets), 1960s, Unknown Artist, National Gallery of Art
My heart’s bass drum back beat
joins the blaring alarm
a viper-like arm strikes
the beeping now tacit
the beats rallentando
softly sotto voce
Why can I not dream forever
like Alice in the looking glass
under the duvet air ripens
filling my soul with musty warmth
why can I not be forgotten
like lint in a jean’s back pocket
out of my sight out of my mind
anxiety’s cacophony
One eye surveys ahead
another stares inward appalled
TS S. Fulk lives with his family in Γrebro, Sweden where he works as an English teacher and textbook author. Besides teaching and writing, TS is an active musician who plays bass trombone, the Appalachian mountain dulcimer and the Swedish bumblebee dulcimer (hummel). His poetry has been (or will be) published by The Ekphrastic Review, The Button Eye Review, The Fiery Scribe Review, Perennial Press, and Wingless Dreamer.