transports by e. smith sleigh
in a
off the buildings and concrete
it resembles barge horn soundings
that bounce off the banks
the islands the river inlets the water
during the dark of night
through the stillness comes the lonely moan
of
to flee the agony of
lost loves
from ears to head to heart and back again
mournful howls invade the body
drench cheeks and prick at veins
the wailing is a walk into the piercing nothingness
into the sounds’ solitary emptiness
yowls diminish while the transports move away
to their distant distances vanished instances
within the adieu
remain somehow wailing
don’t expect an ending

____________________________________________________________
e. smith sleigh poetry appeared or is forthcoming in Paper Darts, Squalorly, Kumquat Poetry, Kaleidoscope,
She won finalist designation in several literary and academic competitions including placement in Eastern Kentucky University’s academic journal Nine Patch: A Creative Journal for Women and Gender Studies.
sleigh authored several poetry collections, a non-fiction book, two novels, and a fictional memoir. She was educated at the universities of Delaware and Michigan, taught at the college level, and traveled extensively. She now lives in Robert Penn Warren country and near a lake where she draws inspiration.

