ISSUE 45
November 2009

Marilyn Paarlberg

 

This marks an author's first online publication Marilyn Paarlberg grew up on a farm in Illinois, an experience that provided enough metaphors for a lifetime of poetry writing. She lives in Albany, New York.

Dog Day    

The dog is off his food.
He circles the day-old pellets
gone soft in the humid kitchen.
One dissolves in his water dish.

The house plants lose heart.
In the spare room
a ficus leaf draws,
drops to the bare floor.

Even lovemaking falters.
She gives him her backside
and wonders how
the novel on the nightstand will end.

The foundation sinks.
Cracks open in the white walls,
and none of the doors quite
close.



 

 

Marilyn Paarlberg: Poetry
Copyright ©2009 The Cortland Review Issue 45The Cortland Review