Woman dressed in white

I tell you
how the water
turned blue
how the boat headed
toward the horizon
the motor beating like a heart
of the woman dressed in white
preparing herself for the moment
24 white roses
in her arms
she knew his longing
I tell you
she meant to remain strong
yet faltered

April 24, 2008

~ Gwen C. Murray

Traveling through the years

Ode to a 70 Year Old

In New Guinea, Lahore or Kathmandu
Sleeping in beds not made for two
Admiring the beautiful Taj Mahal
Awake in Africa for the lion’s call
In Borneo we were often seen
The choice for headhunter’s new cuisine
Around the world I’ve traveled with you
I will follow you into your seventies too.

~ Gwen C. Murray

The Dowager

The Dowager Empress of China

Fattened like a Buddha
Filled her mouth with the state jewels
Kept her talon nails
Long, curved and blood red
Like ancient lacquered knives
Protecting her from her own subjects.
When she died her ivory teeth
Were the color of gravestones
Sealing the ancient vault of royal diamonds
Until the revolutionaries
Slit her throat
Yielding finely carved jewels
Dazzling in blood

~ Gwen C. Murray