To Borrow a Scarf
poetry by Amanda Hope
To Borrow A Scarf
Our Lady
of leaky heart valves
that flap like a tired bird,
grant me
the intimacy
of loaned clothing,
a tenderness
I am not owed.
Our Lady
of pets who run away
at the sound of fireworks,
let this softness lift
what’s ragged inside me
like the fallen poster
of a lost cat,
taken by the breeze.
Our Lady
of train tracks
with small tunnels under them
to allow turtles to cross,
robe me
in your scented garments,
pull me gently
on a string,
smiling like a child’s
wheeled duck.
Amanda Hope
Amanda Hope lives in eastern Massachusetts with her cats. A graduate of Colgate University and Simmons College, she works as a librarian. Her poems have recently appeared in publications including Barrow Street, Up the Staircase Quarterly, Construction, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, and Compose, where she was nominated for Best of the Net. She enjoys riding the subway, playing in brass bands, and wearing magnificent boots. You can find her on Twitter @AmandaHopePoet.