Bertha Rogers
SLEEP SONNET 

It uses up your nights, gluts the rumpled
dark with prancing chests of drawers, lingerie
you haven't worn in years, lovers going
up in blue smoke. It insists on the most
childish rules - lunch at 7, but first,
feed the one-eyed cat. Eventually
you must rise; brew the coffee; consider
recall, its clawed artful hold on your guts.

The furnace kicks loudly and the washing
machine agitates, then spins your under-
wear clean. Pour cream to lighten your drink; read
today's parking news, fall back to your unmade
bed, nest of dread. Dream eviction from the
room for which you have never paid the rent.

Bertha Rogers' poems and critical reviews have appeared in such journals as Many Mountains Moving, Connecticut Review, Nimrod International Journal of Prose and Poetry, Chelsea, Pivot, Yankee and Barrow Street. Her poetry collections include Sleeper, You Wake (Edwin Mellen 1991), For The Girl Buried In The Peat Bog (Six Swans Artist Editions, 1999) and A House of Corners, winner of the Maryland State Poetry Literary Society and Review Competition (Three Conditions Press, Baltimore MD 2000). She is the founding director and editor in chief of Bright Hill Press.


 

 

Poetrybay seeks fine poetry, reviews, commentary and essays without restriction in form or content, and reserves first electronic copyright to all work published. All rights to published work revert to the author following publication. All Email submissions should be in body of email text.

To submit poems write to:

PO Box 114 
Northport NY 11768
or email us at 
info@poetrybay.com

send comments to info@poetrybay.com

first electronic copyright 2004 poetrybay. 
all rights revert to authors

website comments to dpb@islandguide.com