From a local poet currently attending Vassar College, a poem titled ‘Seeing.’
Seeing
I was once told I was beautiful
by a ragged man on a bus.
His eyes were misted white and blind,
but he didn’t seem to notice the lack.
This broke me down – I preferred to imagine
that he had forgotten beauty altogether.
How else could he survive its darkened death?
The ragged man rode three stops with me –
to make sure I got there safe, he said.
But I think he was mostly lonely.
As we rode, he told me all the things
that went by outside the window,
which was glassy like his eyes.
He described the gutters, fouled with twiggy loam,
and a shiny red convertible
with blonde women smiling.
For a while, between Mission and the edge of town,
he talked about a butterfly that tumbled
in the tempestuous bus-currents,
its fragile orange wings brushed with death.
Outside the window, the air was empty and sparkling.
Kelsey Forest has lived and breathed Santa Cruz, growing up near UCSC for 16 of her 21 years. She now attends Vassar College in New York, majoring in Media Studies with a focus on dreaming, while also minoring in Hispanic Studies. Her poetry has appeared in youth competitions in Santa Cruz and has been published in various campus literary offerings at Vassar.
‘Santa Cruz Poets, Santa Cruz Inspiration’ is edited by Robert Sward. Contributions are by invitation.
