Eve Rifkah

Path


The kid thought invisible
             walking no man’s land
             behind the houses lining Capen St.
             through  the woods – not real woods
             scattering of thin trees and underbrush.
The kid thought journey
             path from one backyard
             behind others to dead end dirt road.
Kid walked this trail
             not sidewalk – not in sight of
             all those curtained windows
to friend’s house
             the younger kid
             whose parent’s wonder why
             fourth grader plays with second
             wonders what’s wrong with this kid.
It’s the little house, the kid likes,
             on the dead-end – besides the over grown field.
The kid lives in an apartment in a house of six
             apartments      dreams of living in a house
                          no sounds of doors opening
                          slamming shut          no sounds
                          of footsteps up stairs down
                          voices behind the walls.
The kid wants green and sky outside the windows
             not brickwall back of market
             gravel driveway cuts between
             cars crunch crunch outside the kid’s window
Kid wants air to breathe




Eve Rifkah is editor of the literary journal Diner and co-founder of Poetry Oasis, Inc., a non-profit poetry association dedicated to education, promoting local poets and publishing Diner. Poems have or will appear in Bellevue Literary Review, The MacGuffin, 5 AM, Parthenon West, newversenews.com, poetrymagazine.com, Chaffin Journal, Porcupine Press, The Worcester Review, California Quarterly, ReDactions, Jabberwock Review, Southern New Hampshire Literary Journal and translated into Braille. Her chapbook At the Leprosarium won the 2003 Revelever chapbook contest. At this time she is a professor of English at Worcester and Fitchburg, State Colleges and a workshop instructor. She received her MFA in Writing from Vermont College and lives with her husband, poet Michael Milligan.






Mark Lamoureux Lois Marie Harrod Sam Silva Eve Rifkah Christopher Barnes Roger Singer David McLean