The Walk

gum sole grip —
                  grinding tread,
                  erodes against quartz-flecked concrete,
                  uneven and stamped,
                  poured 1957.

yellow-jacket —
                  scissor-legged and lone,
                  dives through knees,
                  then retreats,
                  to violet petals.

reverberating iron —
                  rust-echo underfoot,
                  gait like gavel on grate,
                  resides as terrain,
                  presides over damp recess.

canopy —
                  leafy flux,
                  flaxen and
                  ashen,
                  lends dappled light.

curved curb —
                  asphalt’s brink,
                  step down to charcoal,
                  radiates relentless heat,
                  where engines hum.

figure —
                  a column pronounced mid sea,
                  among metal vessels,
                  awaiting tidal retreat,
                  alight on opposing shore.

Morning


Layla Flowers is an emerging poet and visual artist. She attended the University of Denver for Creative Writing and Studio Art. She was awarded the Harrison Scholarship for excellence in the arts and a DU Foothills award for poetry. Her recent works focus on the concept of collage as a method of compiling memory. More: laylaflowers.com