A Poem

Several people have asked me if I'm going to write a sequel to Brute Heart, and my answer is always no. Jordan's story was a way to get a few things off my chest, and though she served me well, I have no plans to continue her story. But if I did, her story would have a happy ending.

Currently I am writing another novel, historical fiction, based on the life of a real person (my great grandmother) who lived an extraordinary life in Colorado when the west was still wild. When I finish that book, I plan to play with poetry. I've written a few poems and find the process challenging and fun. To me,writing a poem is similar to completing a crossword puzzle--both processes being word games.

So . . . this month I am posting a poem I wrote. It was published this year in the Gold Man Review. Please let me know if you like it.

If I Wore Sensible Shoes

If I wore sensible shoes

would I choose the road most traveled,

wait on the curb for the walking green

and shun the slippery slope?

Would I walk past the rogues and scoundrels

to stand by the man with intelligent eyes,

or conquer the corporate ladder,

rung by treacherous rung?

If I wore red, peep-toe stilettos

would I learn to tango and dance all night with a gigolo,

or walk along the Seine with a stranger

who fed me snails and sweetbreads?

Would I flash my toes at the Met

and in the shops along Fifth Avenue,

feigning surprise when I see myself in Vogue

or on page 6 of the New York Post ?

If I wore lunar-tech, racer’s edge athletic shoes

I would dare to rush the net on a clay court,

hike the west rim of Zion

and leap across the Seine with Michael Jordan.

I would blaze my own trails,

outrun the rogues and scoundrels,

and at the end of a Wonder Woman day,

cool my burning feet in an icy mountain stream.

Ginger Dehlinger

May 2011