More than 500,000 Dead, February 21, 2021
Today, this newsprint is smiting daggers of names
and faces—The copy mining them like old daguerreotypes
in dusty attics. Survived by two sisters, and a dog
named Blue, the man in the plaid shirt presents
like he just came fresh from splitting wood.
A cracked sawdust smile, ear to ear.
He walked a mile and a half to catch the school bus.
The lady in the next photo must have been a 1970s
beach beauty queen—the bathing cap still dripping,
smelling of chlorine. Survived by
her two daughters. She enjoyed her Friday movie date
with her late husband. She loved gardening, baking
and attending concerts. Send flowers to the cemetery.
I am caught between the bandwidth
and the newsprint—I wonder if mine would be a private
graveside service?—
We are strangers connected by blood, salt, this earthly bond.
Fresh from the beauty parlor, a woman with a French Twist,
perfect as a postcard. I bet she wore black fishnets,
and an orange rain-coat with a thick belt.
Once upon a time, they all bought
tickets to shows, played Bingo, had picnics, paid bills,
wrote a love letter, wept in their palms, made angels in the snow.
They had clothes for every season.
They checked out library books and returned them.
The crossword asks us to fill
in the blanks, because life marches on, no matter whose dime.
Why, I ask the gods above, why is grief so thrifty
that it will burn these pages for warmth? —
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 24, Issue 1.
Cynthia Atkins is the author of Psyche’s Weathers, In The Event of Full Disclosure (CW Books), and Still-Life With God (Saint Julian Press 2020), and a chapbook forthcoming from Harbor Editions, 2022. Her work has appeared in many journals, including Alaska Quarterly Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, BOMB, Cleaver Magazine, Diode, Green Mountains Review, Indianapolis Review, Rust + Moth, North American Review, Seneca Review, SWWIM, Thrush, Tinderbox, and Verse Daily. Formerly, Atkins worked as the assistant director for the Poetry Society of America, and has taught English and Creative Writing, most recently at Blue Ridge Community College. She is an Interviews Editor for American Microreviews and Interviews. She earned her MFA from Columbia University and has earned fellowships and prizes from Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, The Writer’s Voice, and Writers@Work. Atkins lives on the Maury River of Rockbridge County, Virginia, with artist, Phillip Welch and their family. More work and info at: www.cynthiaatkins.com
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