Eleanor, Chicago 1953, by Matthew Murrey

Eleanor, Chicago, photography by Harry Callahan (USA). 1953.

Eleanor, Chicago 1953

I love you, telephone pole 
brick streets, tracks 
and parked, fat cars. 
Oh, back in the day, 
my drab, sweet city.  

Behind her, concrete 
arches a roof and angles 
to ramp a road. At her feet, 
Neenah cast iron  
covers another manhole,

while her face holds
the centre and calls me to traffic
in black and white.     
She fixes me with her stare.

Matthew Murrey
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Matthew Murrey: "My poems have appeared in various journals such as Tar River Poetry, Poetry East, and Rattle.  I received an NEA Fellowship in Poetry a number of years ago, and my first book manuscript is seeking a publisher.  I am a high school librarian in Urbana, Illinois where I live with my partner.  We have two sons who live in the Pacific Northwest. My website is https://matthewmurrey.weebly. com/"