“After the Demise of the Swine’s Sister” by Mary Ellen Talley

after Heart with Bricks by Elizabeth Murray

Elizabeth Murray, Heart with Bricks, 2002, oil on canvas.

Hard-hearted
thumbprint
shows up at the door
ready to blow the house down.

Quietly, her fingers
hobble together
a response
tied with royal blue ribbon.

Not to squash hope
of the dashing wolf
but the mortar dried
quite some time ago.

Mary Ellen Talley
Seattle, WA
metalley16@gmail.com

Mary Ellen Talley’s poems have recently been published in “Cirque, U City Review” and “Ekphrastic Review,” as well as in anthologies “The Doll Collection” and “The Way to My Heart.” Her poetry has received two Pushcart Nominations.