Robbi Nester Verse-Virtual 2018 November

November 2018

I am a transplant from Philadelphia, PA and retired college educator who has become part of the thriving poetry community of Southern California, which includes some of our fellow VVers. I keep myself busy writing, doing open mics and other readings as often as possible, practicing yoga, and enjoying the gorgeous climate in this area. In the age of Trump, I have joined with others to create a community of resistance. This poem was published in my collection, Other-Wise (Kelsay, 2017). I would also like to announce that my forthcoming book, Narrow Bridge, is available for advance sale at https://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/narrow-bridge-robbi-nester. Help me reach the goal of selling 100 copies!

Echo

I was a young girl standing in high grass
when I saw my father carry in the wheat,
thought him as beautiful as any horse
bearing his golden load.
But he was only a man, and men
are dangerous.
Another man, even lovelier than he,
once fled, though I pursued him.
Everything he said, I was fated to repeat.
When he said “Leave me!”
I said it too, although I didn’t mean it,
tried to draw him to me with one hand.
He didn’t understand, seeing
his own face on the surface of the stream.
Perhaps it was a dream—this opposite,
loving only himself, while I
could offer nothing but his words,
none of my own.

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