Dream in South India

I like to sit by the river, dream in a red dragonfly glow, said the quiet poleman, red-winged dragonflies flitting among waterlilies. We rested in the poleman’s wood-skiff rhythm. Until he pointed, See that row of cabins–see that one empty. I wonder if the daemons know. Suddenly, my daydream seared blue then red, traffic lights burned trees, those lily pads grew tall and scheming, and fish in nets fell free. I re-lived the tale of curried fish, my grandma and the judge. I re-saw the kitchen fire, and that empty house. I heard her screams, heard her shrieks. I saw that red glow, that black rain, saw again her heap of ash.

Lavinia Kumar’s latest books are Spirited American Women: Early Writers, Artists, & Activists: 90 remarkable women writers, poets, publishers, artists, abolitionists, suffragettes, and activists; a reprint of a poetry chapbook, Beauty. Salon. Art, after the original publisher went out of business. She has also published three poetry books and three chapbooks. Recent poems and prose can be found in Mezzo Cammin, Book of Matches, Kelsey Review, Little Old Lady, MacQueen’s Quinterly, New Verse News, New Jersey Journal of Poetry, Ruby Literary Review (a Pushcart nomination), Silver Birch Press, & US1 Worksheets and three anthologies. Her website is laviniakumar.net.

A Song for Lavinia