I have eaten my dinner
Do not despair
I have eaten my dinner and the Devil

When he comes will see

I have intact

A peripatetic philosophy

That prizes above all

Not fame

Not virtue

Never grace

But burnt asparagus red wine

Red wine like the red sky

The red slit of sky above you with

Salmon edges its holes

A turquoise belt at the horizon hiding

The woods I lie in

After a long walk

After a long walk through bramble pea shoots

Toasted old bread to dip

A creek warble short

Skirt shorter

After a long walk what is

Current what awaits

What awaits

What will break

The thrall of the Devil


About this poem
"'Red Sky' is first in a series written under the spell of the memoirs of Mary MacLane, that thrilling silent screen star, feminist icon, rabble rouser and originator of the confessional autobiography."
-Caryl Pagel

About Caryl Pagel
Caryl Pagel is the author of "Twice Told" (H_NG M_N, 2014). She teaches at Cleveland State University and in the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at Youngstown State University.

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The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day[at]poets.org.


(c) 2016 Caryl Pagel. Originally published by the Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate