The Witch's Necklace

by Dan Wilcox

The crackle of ice as it hits the driveway

is like hearing you tiptoe in the attic

not that you are there, I’ve looked

you’re not, but I listen until I fall asleep.

Your breath in my dreams is like what the night 

smells like ruffling your hair as dark as the sky 

with a scent like your body unwashed 

in the morning when you evaporate into the Sun.

The pages torn from your journal are cursives

in a language we haven’t learned to speak 

where your voice falters with hallucinations 

sounding like desire or lessons for daughters.

I put down my book, climb the attic stairs

there is silence when I flick on the light

nothing disturbed, then I see the sparkle of light

on the floor, a necklace I’ve never seen

the chain tarnished, the glass beads glisten

like pearls of ice. I bring it downstairs

put it on, dream you come back to claim it.

~

Dan Wilcox is the host of the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center in Albany, NY and is a member of the poetry performance group "3 Guys from Albany." As a photographer, he claims to have the world's largest collection of photos of unknown poets. His book "Gloucester Notes" is from FootHills Publishing. He was named one of the 2019 Literary Legends by the Albany Public Library Foundation and he is an active member of Veterans For Peace. You can read his Blog about the Albany poetry scene at dwlcx.blogspot.com.