Inn, San Francisco

by Nancy Gerber

Ghostly faces stare at us --

sepia eyes imprisoned

in glass mahogany frames.

Grim lips speak of mourning.

Sons and daughters lost to typhus, 

ravages of the expedition west.

Women wearing stiff poplin dresses, 

men dressed in midnight suits

gaze from the walls in envy  

while we recline.  On crimson sofas,

we drink coffee from porcelain 

mugs, plan the rest of our day.

* * * * *

Nancy Gerber writes fiction, poetry, and essays.  Her most recent book, A Way Out of Nowhere (Big Table Publishing), is a collection of short stories featuring female protagonists negotiating the complexities of relationships, and is available on Amazon.