In A Marriage Certificate Poem by Chris Tusa

In A Marriage Certificate

Rating: 5.0


Deep in the cotton petals of a watermark
I see my father stacking sheets of plywood,

his hands freckled with sawdust, his silvery
white skin flickering in the sun, my mother

standing beside him, measuring each plank
of wood, her eyes like blackberries floating

in a pool of milk. She says, 'There's something
wrong, ' and fog settles like an argument.

A Coca-Cola bottle sweats on the picnic table,
the petals of pansies curl into tight yellow fists,

and my parents stand there, like boards that won't
fit, like two splintered edges refusing to meet.


-from Tar River Poetry

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Max Reif 09 July 2005

the wonderful visual quality of your images, the details you present, that I found in your other poems, are here too. I'm glad I caught your name on the Forum page.

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Raynette Eitel 11 June 2005

This is a beautiful poem found in a watermark. (I marvel at places poets find poems.) Thank you for this one. Raynette

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Rich Hanson 04 May 2005

Thank you for posting. THIS is excellent work, and a treat ro read

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Chris Tusa

Chris Tusa

New Orleans, Louisiana
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