is it dark magic that occurs
behind a wet curtain
a blanket of steam spray cascades down your flesh
is it darker magic still
when your eyes close
slight-of-hand for the senses
touch vibrates the clean sudsy silk
no floral bouquet or inattentive perfumes
no phony scent of any kind
unadulterated mist
like morning dreams
pouring over you
awash in clear mercy
when the frothing in your head
caresses the patterned tiles
and floats away in shimmering bubbles
the spray cuts off
the curtain draws back
the steam dissipates
in one breathless moment
the spell ceases
like a heartbeat
evaporates out the window
along with your fantasies
AM Roselli is a writer and artist who lives in the Hudson Valley, New York. She has a collection of illustrated poetry, Love of the Monster, published by Door in the Floor Publishing, 2016, available on Amazon. She previously served as an art director at Prentice Hall Educational Publishing. Since 2014 she has been sharing her writing and artwork on her blog, anntogether.com.
Ann Christine Tabaka is better known by her middle name, Chris. She has been writing poems and rhymes since she was fourteen. She was an artist, a chemist, and a personal trainer. Her poems are in the Contemporary Group’s anthology “Dandelion in a Vase of Roses,” and the poetry journals “Whispers,” “The Society of Classical Poets,” “Indiana Voice Journal,” “Halcyon Days Magazine,” and “Scarlet Leaf Review.”
Foxglove Journal 