Upstairs

Blue, green, and red Easter eggs
chocolate rabbit in cellophane

not a sound
it was so quiet

mother lying unfound
beside the broken chimney
on the flat part of the shed roof

upstairs,

so quiet

no sunlight
purple-slate

poplar trees

short-sleeved dress in coarse linen
the dress puckered at the sleeves

brown wedge shoes

upstairs,
Easter Sunday, April 13, 1952
when I was in fourth grade,

anyuka took sleeping pills

the linden tree: Maikäfer
grandmother’s wash line
willow catkins in bomb craters
dandelions

downstairs,
black woodstove

Easter lilies in bloom

Photo Credit

Lilium Longiflorum – Wikimedia Creative Commons

First Published In – Black Grass, poetry collection by Ilona Martonfi (Broken Rules Press, 2012)

Guest Author Bio

Ilona Martonfi
Ilona Martonfi Author of two poetry books, Blue Poppy, (Coracle Press, 2009.) Black Grass, (Broken Rules Press 2012). Published in Vallum, Accenti, The Fiddlehead, Serai. Founder/producer of The Yellow Door and Visual Arts Centre Readings, co-founder of Lovers and Others. QWF 2010 Community Award.

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