#MIDDLEBURY
Red Sky
Caryl Pagel
I have eaten my dinner
Do not despair
I have eaten my dinner and the Devil
When he comes will see
I have intact
A peripatetic philosophy
That prizes above all
Not fame
Not virtue
Never grace
But burnt asparagus red wine
Red wine like the red sky
The red slit of sky above you with
Salmon edges its holes
A turquoise belt at the horizon hiding
The woods I lie in
After a long walk
After a long walk through bramble pea shoots
Toasted old bread to dip
A creek warble short
Skirt shorter
After a long walk what is
Current what awaits
What awaits
What will break
The thrall of the Devil
About this poem
“‘Red Sky’ is first in a series written under the spell of the memoirs of Mary MacLane, that thrilling silent screen star, feminist icon, rabble rouser and originator of the confessional autobiography.” – Caryl Pagel
About Caryl Pagel
Caryl Pagel is the author of “Twice Told” (H_NG M_N, 2014). She teaches at Cleveland State University and in the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at Youngstown State University.
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day@poets.org.
(c) 2016 Caryl Pagel. Originally published by the Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
