Terrace

A plane tree, leaves green as if polished, 
the reddened tips of fruit trees, a stand
of cypress, and through the blackened green, 
a yellow field, slant of roof. Nearer, 
the castle gate, pale brick flecked with stone
like cream with nutmeg or cinnamon,  
and climbing, vermilion of roses.

As swallows shriek and dive, their shadows
loop to mark the wall, then disappear.

Credit

Author

Honor Moore

Poet and memoirist Honor Moore is the author of three collections of poetry: Red Shoes: Poems (W. W. Norton & Co., 2006); Darling (Grove Press, 2001); and Memoir (Chicory Blue Press, 1988). Moore is also a nonfiction writer, most recently of the memoir A Bishop’s Daughter: A Memoir (W. W. Norton & Co., 2008), a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Moore has edited numerous books of poetry, plays, and feminist writings, including Women’s Liberation!

Date Published

02/09/2011