Laurels
You who outpaced
a God’s steady pursuit, arms now berry-covered branches
—how awfully
they must ache.
Held
ever outward
in a stretch for the sun, feet rooted
in darkest loam,
& your untouched body now grained
in countless rings.
O, better your hands clutch
leaves
that crown the victorious
than any man
ever touch you again.
Tara A. Elliott’s poems appear or are forthcoming in 32 Poems, Cumberland River Review, Cimarron Review, and Ninth Letter, among others. An award-winning educator, she also serves as Executive Director of the Eastern Shore Writers Association (ESWA), and chair of the Bay to Ocean Writers Conference. A former student of Lucille Clifton, she’s been awarded numerous grants and honors for her writing and literary outreach, including the Christine D. Sarbanes Award from MD Humanities and a Maryland Arts Council’s Independent Artist Award.
Photo credit: Min An