Michelle Cameron

WRITING ROMANCES

He has notions, this William,
whom I watch skritch-scratching
words in a torrent of inspiration --

words that sing, all birdsong, forest shadings,
him their lark, chest swelling, wooing a world
that holds me, ennested, spellbound --

around him, Bankside squalor, fellows drinking,
catcalling, laughing, making merry,
but he, abstracted, pays heed only to his quill,
to romances that snare me breathless
when I sneak and read them.

Each morning, I choose my hairpiece,
my apron, neat bands about my sleeves,
watch for his empty plate, his tepid ale,
do what I can to replenish his musings --

he rewarding me with that blue glint
wink, kind smile, a glance up, down,
when I arrive, when I leave.

My brothers speak, bewildered
of this Anne Hathaway he's married
-- older than him, they say,
three children, one dead, they say.

None of it matters when I read his lines,
nay, nor when he enters a room
and my breath comes
prickly in my chest, my legs,
warm glowing in my checks and
(yes I must admit),
burning red hot elsewhere.

Date of Birth:	June 19, 1958
Location:	Chatham, New Jersey
Occupation:	Creative Director
Email:	mcameron@gti.net
Website:	http://www.noretreat.org/mec/
Publications:	Lilith, the Paterson Literary Review, Midnight Mind, UNO, Martha's Vineyard: A Collection, The Paumanok Review, Comrades, Samsara Quarterly, Sometimes City, 2River View, etc.
Book:	In the Shadow of the Globe (Lit Pot Press, Inc., 2004)
Awards:	Editor's Choice Award, 2002 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Contest; Best of Stirring Year Three

- July 2003 - to protagonist ; from antagonist Nude And You Have Been Fruitful Writing Romances Idiot Spring Introduction to Poetry Rain Loves the Sky Sweet Breath