YIELD —1. To bear fruit, 2. To surrender

by Tina Klimas


And here it is again
lying in ambush
at a flea market
in the rosy sun
of late summer—

a plaything, a paper kit
of stickers and games,
of dinosaurs and cowboys
with a flashy title
like fireworks, like gunfire
For Boys Only.

I am, we all are, in
adrenaline pumping,
body clenching, outraged
danger. The sleeping bear
stirs. But its rumblings
may as well be mute—
emitted into an oblivious
calm, in which everything
proceeds as usual.

The man beside me, studying
the crockery, ignores me.
My husband, two rows over,
nods and smiles indulgently.
My grown-up daughter tries to
convey understanding, while
simultaneously shushing me.

Okay.
So something must be misfiring.
With me.
Again.

A marauding army is not
coming to rape me. Nor
am I about to be chucked
into a Victorian asylum for
being hysterical. Not even
ten again and denied
Catholic church altar service

because I am a girl.

Just a bit of nostalgia, a toy.
Some believe this battle has been
fought and won. Of course,
it is not appropriate to
make a scene at an event
where everyone is united
in a common quest.
Life is, indeed, good.
Keeping the peace is a noble
and necessary endeavor.

The nagging but
is headed off, yet again.
And we eat greasy food
and buy more stuff.
What to make of these
passing moments when
it truly is the right answer
to behave and let it go—
when it always somehow
feels like
the wrong one?


* * * * *

Tina Klimas's poems can be found in THEMA Literary Journal, Bear River Review, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, Backchannels, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Willows Wept Review, and Glassworks Magazine. Her short fiction has also been published in several journals. She enjoys her writing life in Redford, MI where she lives with her husband and their dog.