Demeter
If you were to name one of your children
after a play by Shakespeare
would you insist the name mimic the sound
of a beating drum
Bassianus, Saturninus?
Or, would you shoot for something more delicate.
Perhaps you would attempt to mimic the hum of a woman
smearing lipstick onto her mouth
or placing the finishing touches on her new car
or maybe you would ask for something a little more saccharine—
Like, the ringing of a thousand bells
Or the smell of a particular flower.
Alla Vilnyanskaya was born in the Ukraine and raised in the U.S. She came to Philadelphia in 1989 with her parents. She holds an MA from Miami University and an MFA from Columbia University. Her work has been published in several online and print journals. She is currently working on her first full length book of poetry.
Other Works
Jeannie Vanasco Interview
by Sean Sam
... If we keep it private, we're stigmatizing it more, and then we go on believing that certain people aren't capable of committing these acts ...
Coconuts
by Estrella del Valle (translated by Toshiya Kamei)
... Coconuts are brown outside / but very white inside ...