Margaret Hasse Verse-Virtual 2016 August

August 2016

I grew up in Vermillion, South Dakota, and was educated at Stanford University (B.A., English) and the University of Minnesota (M.A., English). I started writing poetry when I was a child and never stopped. For the past thirty years, I’ve lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where I teach and consult with arts organizations on their plans and programs. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate in receiving some awards for my poetry, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. My fifth book of poetry, Between Us, will be released in 2016. Visit my website at www.MargaretHasse.com

That Summer Abroad

Joanne, have we ever been so free again
as then?—when we’d change destinations
on a whim, Rome one day,
hitchhiking to Brindisi the next.
The cheap berth on a ferry to Greece
meant sleeping on the deck by Italian boys.
Remember their garlicky breath?

I want to call you up right now, Joanne,
buy one-way tickets to Athens
where we’ll board the boat
to the island of Skyros.

We can take turns going to the bakery
for warm bread at dawn
wearing cotton shifts
we sleep in like virgins.
The sun runs its hands
up the hillside to each white house.

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