Brick pillars defined its limits.
Square, small, docked
like a small lifeboat
trailing behind her ship of a home
in the vast green sea of her lawn.
Grandma and I ate our
buttered toast without crusts
sitting at a steel
cafe table.
Afterwards, she
stood and
tossed
crumbs and crusts
onto that green sea of a lawn.
“Come!” she called.
Every sparrow in the world
descended.
My Grandma
could summon birds
from an empty sky!
One morning
curiosity trumped awe.
“How do they hear you?”
Smiling, she answered
“Everyone hears
when called to table.”
Joan Leotta has been playing with words through writing and performing since childhood. Her “motto” is “encouraging words through pen and performance.” Her award-winning poetry, short stories, books, and articles have appeared in many journals, magazines, and newspapers. Joan recently completed a month as one of Tupelo Press’ 30/30 poets. She has work forthcoming in Knox Literary Magazine, and Eastern Iowa Review. She performs folklore and one-woman shows on historic figures in schools, libraries, museums, and at festivals. Joan lives in Calabash, North Carolina with her husband Joe. You can learn more about her work and reach her through www.joanleotta.wordpress.com. You can like her on Facebook here.
A Quiet Courage 