Barbara Paparazzo
NOT KNOWING BETTER
Not knowing better, we hired
a blue canoe and rowed
through reflections of snow-capped
Himalayas
to a small Hindu temple
where black and white goats played
in the sunshine. We snapped
pictures, sat on sun-warmed rocks
& admired the animals about to be
sacrificed, we found out later
& all that gamboling turned inside out
reminding me of that slice
unexpected, brutal
between my life when you were alive
and my life now.
Two pieces, both dead.
–from Rattle #28, Winter 2007








September 5th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Barbara- This poem is absolutely beautiful!
January 8th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
barbara, this is beautiful. paula told me that you were writing poetry, so i looked you up. i have very fond memories of you and woody and nina. best wishes for the new year. i will continue to look for your work.