for my son
If I hadn’t
dug for potatoes
I would have missed it
lying
between
the yellowed leaves
a snake’s skin
colorless
striated
a diaphanous pouch
left behind
like the husk of a flower
the shade of your hair
your Rolling Stones t-shirt
puddled on the floor
faded jeans
sloughed off
how easily you abandoned
the ragged coat
and disappeared
kissing the earth
with your soft mouth
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 27, Issue 4.
Elizabeth Kirkpatrick-Vrenios’s third book of poetry, A Concerto for an Empty Frame, was released by Kelsay books in 2023 and her fourth, Ra-ven, coming in July. Nominated for Pushcart and Best of Net several times, she has poems published in numerous anthologies and journals, is Professor Emerita from American University and has performed as a solo singing artist across Europe and the United States.
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