She stands alone, almost lost

before a brick wall looming behind her,

an apparition in strapless taffeta

on the vacant street, wet with rain.

No birds, no color in the sky-

She has stolen the blue of Heaven

for her dress. In this urban grotto,

the coal black dumpster becomes

Pandora’s Box, holding life’s leftovers.

She clutches a cell phone to her ear,

a modern Madonna’s instant messenger.

Who is she calling?

Two faded frescos on the brick wall,

fallen from grace-

announce Peter’s Cabaret

as if one of the twelve

hopes to upstage her,

offering dining and cocktails.

A single street light illuminates,

her pale shoulders, her ethereal legs

seeming to levitate above cement.

Listen, you can hear her whisper,

the silken rustle of her taffeta skirt,

the Madonna of Fort Myers

is calling, calling you.

Lorraine A. Vail

Lorraine A. Vail is Chair and Co-Founder of ArtPoems, the multi-media collaborative that will be produced this year at BIG Arts on February 24th. This year she received her second prestigious Pushcart Prize nomination. She is the author of Paradise Found and Fire in the Grass which may be purchased online at Amazon.com and in local bookstores.