The Woman Next Door: A Tall Tale
There once was a woman who lived
on a street called Bob O’Link
just beyond an avenue named Jacana
after the bird who walks on lily pads.
She stayed in a small Cape Cod of red brick
with no distinctive architecture, but
neat windows up high, & a room to paint the moon,
overlook for neighbor’s trimmed
& landscaped yard. Her house sat on a grassy lot
with two twig dropping maples, a semicircle of
dwarf hollies & a spindly rhododendren.
The little brick house appeared nothing unusual,
but inside, a river ran through the basement,
rising high after the rain.
The witch woman in a flowing gown,
or priestess if you prefer, molts
in cycles with the seasons & phases of the moon.
She chants, burns sage in an Abalone shell,
raises energy & draws down the moon
to make her good magic. Ancestors
visit her in dreams & visions.
She paints & writes her own mythology.
Shaman Jacana transforms, hopping
from lily pad to lily pad, always
searching her next home.
You see, she’s got gypsy in her soul.
Jacquelyn Markham (4/12/24)
And, the prompt that started all of this!
Napowrimo.net: “And last but not least, our optional prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that plays with the idea of a “tall tale.” American tall tales feature larger-than-life characters like Paul Bunyan (who is literally larger than life), Bulltop Stormalong (also gigantic), and Pecos Bill (apparently normal-sized, but he doesn’t let it slow him down). If you’d like to see a modern poetic take on the tall tale, try Jennifer L. Knox’s hilarious poem, “Burt Reynolds FAQ.” Your poem can revolve around a mythical character, one you make up entirely, or add fantastical elements into a real person’s biography.”
Poet Voice 