ADVENTURE

by Gloria Mindock

The rain hits the earth

with such force, soaking the ground,

cleaning it up for its next adventure.

When the sun appears, everything dries,

is normal again—

over and over this happens.

Love is the same way.  Someone is always

falling in love.

Don’t be deceived by such happiness…

the world is a catastrophe and you must

fight against it.

Survival is better with perfect teeth.

There is always a gun being pointed at someone.

There is always a gun being fired.

There are always explosions, knifings, a machete swinging.

No end to these images.

So many coffins lined up, makes me shiver.

Love can remake you, give you a pain.

Love is an ode you owe yourself—

walk down the street and the road will follow.

Misery is something you slip on once in awhile.

A nightmare, you can wake up from,

with eyes open, no tears shed, an eternity…

Breathe a sigh of relief. You aren’t alone.

Your flesh was only asleep.

* * * * *

"Adventure" was first published in Muddy River Poetry Review and is part of the author's poetry collection Whiteness of Bone (Glass Lyre Press, 2016).

Gloria Mindock is the author of five books of poetry, most recently, I wish Francisco Franco Would Love Me (Nixes Mate Books, 2018). She is the founding editor of Červená Barva Press and one of the USA editors for Levure Litteraire (France). Widely published in the USA and abroad, her poetry has been translated and published into Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin, Spanish, Estonian, Albanian, and French. Gloria has been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Gargoyle, Web Del Sol, Poet Lore, Constellations: A Journal of Poetry and Fiction, Muddy River Poetry Review, Unlikely Stories and Nixes Mate Review. She was the Poet Laureate in Somerville, MA in 2017 and 2018.