~ Delta Poetry Review ~

Jaya Avendel

Subject

Beside the snaking muddy river

In the heart of the South

Women in black are born.

Derived of

Bleeding sunsets and suffering

To sew into their skirts

These women brandish whips and

Declare them a form of love.

Men who like to lick their lips and

Watch their eyes gleam in whiskey

Are the first to come calling

Slinking through the night as if their breath on the cold air

Is all that hides them from the moon.

The snaking river

Carries young hearts and pride away.

In the mud swirls lust not love and

Women who wear the secrets

Of society like snakes who

Shed their skins.

Jaya Avendel is a word witch from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, passionate about life where it intersects with writing and the dreamscapes lost in between. A diversely published writer both online and in print, she shares publication news, creative writing, and writing guides at ninchronicles.com. Email: jayaavendel@gmail.com