March 2024
Poetry
by Fiver Lewis
Initiation
They—
are the gray woolen ladies
from Chelsea—
escorts to the tracks
carrying wicker baskets filled
with tiger lilies and peppermints.
We—
are the children
climbing into the cavernous belly
of car number forty-three
torn lilies pressed
in small, sticky palms—
we grip the remnants.
Gravesend—Farningham—Sole Street
at 7:07
the train snakes away
from the empty station
and a child
stands by a labeled case
waiting…
You—
are the wide-eyed stray
at the crossing
knowing that—now
it’s time.
This is your time…
Well…
lines, of course,
get crossed—
from America…
The cabby has forgotten.
Fiver Lewis
California, USA
Fiver Lewis has been published in DASH Literary Journal, Down in the Dirt, Immanence: The Journal of Applied Myth, Mount Hope Magazine, Story, El Portal, and Folklore. She has a BA from Middlebury College, an MA from London School of Economics and Political Science in international history, and a master’s in social work from Loyola University Chicago. Fiver also studied at the Writers’ Salon and the Gotham Writers Workshop. She has worked as a journalist, dancer, vocalist, social worker, and integral coach. Fiver enjoys teaching dance, playing guitar, meditation, and the outdoors.