(Today we conclude what we hope is our first run of work by Robert Beveridge–The Eds.)

“A Woman Weeping in a Torn Chemise…”

(–Pierre Reverdy, “Heartbreak”)

The shadow lurks

in the corner

as I raise my head

to drain another drink

I try to avoid looking

it prowls, waits

for me to rise

only its feet are visible

in this forest of emotions

there is something rather charming

about its blackness

I wouldn’t see it

but a few shards of peach silk

are stuck to its claws

and the woman

sitting at the other end of the bar

tears spilling into her whiskey

there are needle-marks on her arms

it’s too bad

she could have been attractive

if she weren’t so pale

so thin

her ripped garment

exposes nothing really

the shadow shifts

in its corner again

in my examination of the girl I’ve forgotten it

it seems to have gotten a bit colder in here

I shiver

as peach shards come closer

Robert Beveridge