P oetry R epair S hop (1999.08: 093)
- CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL POETRY
- by new, emerging, and established poets

LAIMA SRUOGINIS
The Certainty of Two Ravens

You can always count on two ravens
poised on a fragile mid-winter limb
opposite the peak of my old yellow house--
two brothers watching from the other side.

And then there is that moment -- a flicker
when a flock of sea gulls, bottom-lit, alight
white -- incarnate -- against a blue winter sky
so piercing you must shade your eyes.

Then there is the steam rising off the bay
when the temperature dips far below zero
raising you along with it -- ethereal cloud--
through which you must pass.

Poem copyright 1999; all rights reserved. (If you desire a copy of this poem, please contact the AUTHOR).