Djuna Barnes to herself
The intruder offered a bouquet–
tenebrae of a half century, purloined by this
blurred befriender of seclusions
which I snatched away.
I wasn’t—I just—
and then another enjambment,
the indiscreet beloved relation
closed on its hinges
and thus the door slams just as a vase holds flowers.
Credit
From Being Modernists Together (Solid Objects, 2026) by Elizabeth Robinson. Copyright © 2026 by Elizabeth Robinson. Used with the permission of the publisher.
Date Published
01/01/2026