Art: Happiness by Raylan Pulley
ALLEY WILDFLOWERS
I was torn between picking the alley wildflowers
yellow and wind-tossed
or just letting them be
although I’d never pick all of them
an anti-communal act
denuding the alley for everyone else.
Even three
seemed the taking of life
knowing they would have fewer days
in a vase of water
on the kitchen table
but I plucked them anyway
to see their gold
reflected in her smile
surviving there in her eyes
far longer than the first frost.
About the author:
Mark Gordon is a novelist and poet who grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals in Canada and the United States, including Poet Lore, Quiddity International, and Roanoke Review. His three published novels are The Kanner Aliyah, Head of the Harbour, and The Snail’s Castle. He is presently living in Toronto, Canada. He maintains the website markgordonauthor.com, which he cordially invites you to visit.
Art: Happiness by Raylan Pulley
In the artist’s words:
I was born in Paris Texas, I’ve lived my whole life in a small town called Valliant Oklahoma, I’m a modern day hippie and I’m a stay at home cat mom. I paint using only acrylic, and my inspiration comes from my wild imagination.