Mixed Greens
Ben Nardolilli
The brunette from the adjacent ward
sips on her green tea,
it is a delicate intake, in a way
the only serious medicine
that seems to have any effect on her
In her hands the cup becomes a lotus,
then a whole jungle
that somehow is lush and wild
while retaining the form of a garden,
inside I am sure she glows
And what am I pulling off? sweating
through all my scratchy material,
not illuminated at all,
the green tea I hold in my hands
is all bitter, as if it sees my reflection
Ben Nardolilli is currently an MFA candidate at Long Island University. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Red Fez, Danse Macabre, The 22 Magazine, Quail Bell Magazine, Elimae, The Northampton Review, Local Train Magazine, The Minetta Review, and Yes Poetry. He blogs at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com and is trying to publish his novels.