Paper-Thin, by Kate Copeland

Testimonio, by Camila Lamarca (Argentina) 2019

Paper-Thin 
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Left outside, the flowers keep their colours, and
woody-brown leaves surround, as petals face 
skyward. 

She admires the shades from above, turns back
to the balcony, where useful tools are left about,
from left to right, the rakes and spades, embraced 
by bright white doors, no pottery to catch the 
flaking paint. 

She fills a teacup with seeds, kneels to pick 
some sage and parsley from the slate,
inert.

Left outside, the old fountain is full of dead leaves, 
they circle in blinding light, but she knows no water 
will ripple them back to life, and climbs back in.

The house has grown silent since he left, windows 
still wide open, the pink bougainville he surprised 
her with, as if to ignore another season.

She might leave more dates open in her diary, all
of promises behind. How proof turns paper-thin, 
once spoken later.

She picks at the oilcloth on the table, follows the 
strange wavelets, unearthly colours, and pictures 
him, 

riding the bus down Corrientes, where plane trees 
preserve the turns of a river, a turning of life, now 
she is left with this hiding house, running down 
her short nights,

the long, long days. Come and contemplate over
tea, she will need new curtains and other illusions 
of change.

Kate Copeland

Kate Copeland started absorbing books ever since a little lass. Her love for words led her to teaching & translating; her love for art & water to poetry…please find her pieces @The Ekphrastic Review, Poets’ Choice, First Lit.Review-East, Wildfire Words, The Metaworker, The Weekly/Five South, New Feathers, AltPoetryPrompts  a.o. Her recent Insta reads: www.instagram.com/kate.copeland.poems/  Over the years, she worked at literary festivals and Breathe-Read-Write-sessions, recent linguistic-poetry workshops were via the IWWG (more workshops in the making). Kate was born @ harbour city and adores housesitting @ the world. 

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