By Katrin Talbot
She sat in front of me,
unfettered hair
gray waves rippling
down her back,
no–nonsense specs
presiding over an
Old Country nose
And her perfect manicure.
Manicure.
Perfect.
While I could have taken in some
breathtaking prose of Richard II,
I wondered instead
what would a rabbi
and manicurist share
if the rabbi could confide,
finally, outside her receiving realm,
and would it be nerve-wracking or
liberating to paint such
wisdom?
Australian-born Katrin Talbot’s collections include The Blind Lifeguard and Freeze-Dried Love, both from Finishing Line Press; The Little Red Poem &noun’d,verb, both from dancing girl press, and St. Cecilia’s Daze, from Parallel Press. She has recently been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes in Poetry. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies; she was voted Madison Magazine’s Best of 2015 Spoken Word Artist/Poet. She has been poet-in-residence for Sound Ensemble Wisconsin. Ms. Talbot is also a violist and photographer and her coffee table book, Schubert’s Winterreise-A Winter Journey in Poetry, Image, and Song is published by the University of Wisconsin Press.
Portage Magazine 