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Joanne Morcom
church catacombs ...
skulls arranged neatly
by the thousands
I accidently touch
a leg bone
Cuzco after dark ...
dizzy from the altitude
and Andean whiskey
I wander into
the wrong hotel
La Recoleta ...
no one near Evita's crypt
except me
holding an umbrella
and a yellow rose
Plaza de Mayo ...
mothers of the disappeared
still protest every Thursday
their hair now as white
as their head scarves
outdoor cafe ...
ice cubes in my glass
melt into one
thoughts of you arise
unbidden
Iguassu Falls ...
is that mist on my face
or perspiration?
roar of the water
in my dreams
Iguassu River ...
alligators stare at me
with unblinking eyes
I wish I hadn't
worn perfume today
bird sanctuary ...
grey parrots converse
in Portuguese
feeling left out
I nibble on sunflower seeds
Copacabana ...
knocked down by a wave
I swallow salt water
and can't imagine
a better way to die
stuck in traffic
I play my samba CD
over and over --
snow seems to fall
to the same beat
Joanne Morcom lives in Calgary, Alberta where she works in two long-term care centers as a social worker. She also writes and publishes tanka, haiku, haibun and flash fiction. She is currently writing a scifaiku chapbook for Sam's Dot Publishing. Visit Joanne's website at:
http://www.joannemorcom.com/
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