Took Care to Close the Door
Like what transpired in the restroom
on a transatlantic flight as I hoisted
your tangerine-colored dress above your hips—
bright orange butterfly weeds in the meadow,
airplanes overhead reminding me
of the cartoon, Fly United, a pair
of geese joined front to back, the male wearing
a satisfied grin, but this time two
dragonflies whirling in tandem around
those colorful plants, playful until the male,
not bashful in the least, tired of the chase
and mounted his partner, performed
out in the open, unlike us, who took care
to close the door and slide the bolt, so to speak.
Spitting Image
Those all-too-familiar features—
angular nose and chin
chiseled from rock,
forehead jutting out—
the profile that still adorns
state highway signs
long after his collapse
despite all the shoring up…
but here he is—in living flesh—
at the checkout counter
wearing a broad smile,
no longer stone-faced
as he chats up the cashier—
Old Man of the Mountain.
About the Author
Jim Tilley has published four full-length collections of poetry and a novel with Red Hen Press. His short memoir, The Elegant Solution, was published as a Ploughshares Solo. Five of his poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His most recent poetry collection, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe: New & Selected Poems, was published in June 2024. His forthcoming collection, When Godot Arrived, will be published in 2026.
