Joan of Dark
by Bill Yarrow
What happens in heaven stays in heaven.
“That's not true,” she said to me. “You know
it's not true.” Yes, the acts of paradise,
slippery like syrup, slide down the clouds
and drip onto the tops of the trees where
birds and squirrels reveal them to man.
“What color are the birds?” she asked. Pink.
The pink birds and checkerboard squirrels
reveal the sly doings of the chubby cherubs.
“What's sly doings?” I meant “sky” doings.
Reveal the sky doings of half-pint angels.
“I love heaven, don't you?” I'm not allowed to
tell. They will burn me at the stake if I tell.
“Like Joan of Dark?” Just like Joan of Dark.
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127 words
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Author's Note
This poem appeared in Camroc Press Review.
Thank you, Barry Basden.
This poem also appears in my chapbook FOURTEEN (Naked Mannekin, 2011).
This poem appears in Blasphemer (Lit Fest Press 2015).
Other stories by Bill Yarrow
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ZhonDark, lessons, holiness in the trees and grins.
Loved this in Fourteen, too.
Good 'un. *
fave!
I really enjoy the flow and tone of this.
*
Yes, yes. "The pink birds and checkerboard squirrels
reveal the sly doings of the chubby cherubs."
Good piece, good collection.
I do like this so much, your Joan of Dark
*
Nice. You had me in your pocket with the title already. Then, "slippery like syrup, slide." *
We won't burn you. Much. *
pink birds, that what we see in heaven? I'm going.
"Joan of Dark." Oh yeah!! I LOVED this when I read it in your collection! LOve your work, Bill! ****
Love the back and forth of this, the meter. Peace *
Dart smack dab to center.
What a great first line!
Fourteen faves so far for this fourteen-line poem from the collection titled, you guessed it, "Fourteen". How fitting, that.
Should I muck up this algebra, this mathematics, of poetry, though, and make it an even fifteen faves? What a dilemma.
On the one hand, it's five years later, so it's not like anyone will ever notice. On the other hand ...
Shoot. I don't know what to do here.
Help me out someone.