Impressions

I am Baudelaire’s stroller,
no I am Manet’s flaneur,
living on the outskirts of
society, hiding
from crowds viewing
spectacles.
I am the red sash in
Music in the Tuileries Gardens
a bright color spot among
faceless many.
I am a Friedrich’s
Ruckenfigur, back turned
as I look
toward the
sublime.

I am a Humanities
Instructor teaching about
ancient sand,
dreaming about
brown land.
No, an English
Instructor, an Adjunct
with an invisible
"A" engraved upon
my chest.

I am "the white box"
of an application form
No, wait! I am
Welsh, French and
Scottish:
with the wail of
a bagpipe,
the hint of
calliope
in my soul

I am the strongest link,
an aunt and a sister
I am the weakest link,
the last of my line.

Published in The Bayousphere (2005)