Nancy Scott Verse-Virtual 2017 July

July 2017

In nine collections of poetry, I have written about topics, such as social justice, fairy tales, ekphrastic poetry, humor, travel, and slipstream. Occasionally, I delve into more personal feelings of dislocation and nostalgia for the past. I have been managing editor of U.S.1 Worksheets for more than a decade. We have published hundreds of amazing poems which perks me up. www.nancyscott.net

Match Point

This day, like every other day, you wake up,
and then it happens—sun creeps between the slats
of the blinds, illuminates the room with its steady crawl,
and the bed becomes more prison than sanctuary.
This day when your back argues with you,
disrespecting your demand to flex and straighten up,
and the buzzing in your head won’t shut off.
Your eyes pursue the light squaring out the corners,
exposing your messy life--
clothes tossed about, dusty art, ancient chifforobe’s
chipped veneer, digital clock’s red numbers bright
as the Revlon lipstick you forget to wear.
Why struggle? Why not succumb?
This day you mark on the calendar not with
a plain X, but a flourish, so you will remember--
game, set, match.

first published in U.S.1 Worksheets

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