by Lea Galanter

A swirling, whirling dervish 
the sky cannot contain me 
going every which way 

Wild-eyed as Van Gogh, 
no salve for the wounds 
blue on blue 
burnt red on beige

Calm as the sea
ebbing with the tide 
swimming with the fishes 
salty as a sailor 
carrying you from shore to shore

Green-blue coat 
warms you in winter 
lighting up your face 
taking you out into the world 
bringing you home again 
where you gently lay me 
on the back of your favorite chair 
for another day


Lea Galanter is a Seattle-area editor and writer with a background in history and theater. After writing plays for many years, she stumbled into the world of poetry and has never looked back. Her poetry has been published by Really System, Panoply, LitFuse, and in various anthologies. She now ventures regularly into the spaces between words seeking the secret messages.