Cheryl Snell

RED

Say a phrase over and over. Its meaning sloughs off.
Sounds collide, saturating you. You go still
beneath your skin.

The girl whispered my Dad died, and there was nothing
to breathe in the cabin.

She pulled treasures from her bag like a string
of magician's scarves. The red carnation appeared, a bent
and wilted thing, thumbprinted with effort to make memory last.

We mended the dangling flowerhead with gum and nail polish
knowing the fix would finish it.

When she left the plane, she held her funereal flower tight.
Never mind how the people turned away or how the petals
littered the ground like the opposite of confetti.

Location:	Glenn Dale, Maryland
Occupation:	Pianist
Email:	cherylsnell@hotmail.com
Website:	http://www.authorsden.com/cheryllsnell
Publications:	Antietam Review, Petroglyph, Comstock Review, Washington Review,River Oak Review, Amherst Review, Potomac Review, cwhobb, threecandles, 2River view, etc.
Books:	Shiva's Arms, Flower Half Blown (Finishing Line Press), Heads (March Street Press), Prisoner's Dilemma (forthcoming)
Awards:	Honorable mention from the Dana Literary Awards; finalist for the Omaha Prize; nominated for the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry

- March 2003 - Objects Waiting to Be Dangerous A Collection of Parts in Search of the Girl Paw's Long Term Memory Begins To Rot Thirst The Attempt Red feral cat on the green table The Lawyer Meets Friends He Hasn’t Seen In Years - Stirring's Best Photography - lipstick Make-up Erotica Vanessa Feline Behavior Music Bathtub