She stands like a statue, arm raised, her wrist
rests on top of her head as the artist draws
with black marker on her naked body.
The tree with the dragon will cover her side
from breast to hip. A friendly dragon,
she had insisted when they looked through the sketches.
The needles of the tattoo gun etch
art into her flank. She bites her lip. Closes
her eyes, thinks it will be beautiful.
Heart felt
I put the laundry in the dryer
and remember the day we strolled
through the town after lunch,
not ready to say goodbye.
The years of absence
had fallen away like dust
in a breeze. Confidences
came easy. We wandered
into a store that sold soaps
and wooden brushes. A glass jar
with felted dryer balls
stood on the windowsill. I told you
how the dogs had claimed
my old one as a toy. You picked
a ball with a rainbow heart
and bought it for me.
I watched your car disappear
down the road. We forgot
to take a picture. But I smile
and think of you when I open my dryer.
Agnes Vojta grew up in Germany and now lives in Rolla, Missouri where
she teaches physics at Missouri S&T and hikes the Ozarks. She is
the author of Porous Land, The Eden of Perhaps, and A
Coracle for Dreams (Spartan Press). Most recently, she
collaborated with eight other poets on the book Wild Muse: Ozarks
Nature Poetry (Cornerpost Press, 2022.) Agnes hosts the Poetry at
the Pub reading series in Rolla and is associate editor of Thimble
Literary Magazine. Her poems have appeared in a variety of magazines;
you can read some of them on her website agnesvojta.com.
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