Challenge*
Hide and Seek I’m half-way there in a half-way house sometimes hiding in my room, sometimes blowing out the walls, blowing the roof off with my conviction—some alchemical stew of baseless confidence and putrefying bits of fact. It keeps me immortal while others die on home cooking. I don’t know why. Assassins still come after me anyway, disguised as family. And I run, immortality be damned. I hide in the tall grass and they look for me there. I hide in the boat house and their bare feet shake the dock. I hide under the willows weeping and they part the branches. I would, craven, throw anyone down in my place—blood relative or friend—but they come for me. As promised. As written. They look like you, and I may, over and over confound myself by breaking cover, by running out to meet them— the price of that reunion! But, turn the page, and there I am again, cooking. Sherry Robbins, from Under World, Outriders Poetry Project, 2020 *Out now! Order directly from the publisher, Outriders Poetry Project Max Wickert, Director 314 Highland Avenue, Buffalo, N.Y. 14222 tel/fax (716) 882-1642 outriderspoetry@me.com or from Talking Leaves Bookstore, or from your independent bookstore, or from Amazon
Sherry Robbins 