Hieratic Madonna

I had one of those sinking spells—she was no more than an infant,
blue eyes . . .

I thought I could smell some reel-to-reel tape

So I bought a pill halver . . .

Most of the furniture sat fading in the sunshine—

The child moved her tiny hand . . .

My blood pressure moderated (again), misguided, but innocent . . .

One more in a long series of “isms”

It was an ordinary garden-hose type of summer day in Caledonia

A vision painted there, but blinking at me, sadder than Modigliani

The infant liked this way too much
Her head growing taller, and thinner

Somebody handed me a card

You want to donate flowers?______ or food?______

David Dodd Lee has published eight collections of poetry, the most recent of which is Animalities (Four Way Books, 2014). His poems have recently appeared in Guernica, Field, Gulf Coast, Blackbird, and The Nation, among other journals. Lee teaches creative writing, visual art, and literature at Indiana University South Bend, where he also serves as editor-in-chief of the university’s 42 Miles Press.