pathogens have stolen most of the joy // but at least there's still hot water gushing from the shower // i stand under its caress // wrestling with the fractious soap as it slides // rebellious // in my hands trying to elude my grip as my flesh // longing for touch // any touch // even my own // pinks up // excited // the hair on my arms prickles in anticipation of the soap's smooth friction // the acknowledgment of its existence // eyes closed // sighing // i begin the empty ritual of hygiene // imagining your hungry hands exploring my nakedness in a circus of lust // as bright visions take me back to another life // when every day was was a feast of the physical // balanced by the music of the mind // syncopated by twin hearts beating // such a brief dream // punctured by a barbarous twist in the fabric of the universe // leaving nothing but torn threads of
memory and me // showering alone // in the jubilee of sorrow // hot water and soap
Copyright. RC deWinter.
RC deWinter’s poetry is widely anthologized, notably in New York City Haiku (Universe/NY Times, 2/2017), New Contexts 2 (Coverstory Books, 9/2021) Now We Heal: An Anthology of Hope, (Wellworth Publishing, 12/2020) in print in 2River, Event Magazine, Gargoyle Magazine, Genre Urban Arts, Meat For Tea: The Valley Review, the Minnesota review, Night Picnic Journal, Plainsongs, Prairie Schooner, San Antonio Review, The Ogham Stone, Southword, Twelve Mile Review, Yellow Arrow Journal, The York Literary Review among others and appears in numerous online literary journals. She’s also one of the winners of the 2021 Connecticut Shakespeare Festival Sonnet Contest, anthology publication forthcoming.
