THE NAMELESS
By Lisa Zaran

The Nameless

Who are we but immigrants too.
Who are we but a lost Country.
Who are we but tin blind, partially broken,
desperado’s too are we not.

Who are we but homeless
with our pawnshop belongings,
our tenuous hope. There are padlocks
clinking, yes the beat of our hearts.

Who are we but impoverished
with our rag-bound tenderness
as the child’s tear runs down
a dusty cheek, brown river.

Are we not a hobo too, bound
for a home that doesn’t exist, lost
in exploration, wayfaring in the making.
We too have no circumference

for the sojourn, no roadmap or compass,
no dominion no bounds, this land is my land
unfurling in our souls, this land is your land
our national anthem, Pilgrims too are we not.

*


Pathos

girl with a broken heart
tends the garden-
drooping rose

*

pawn shop wedding rings
trapped under glass
diamonds of other loves

*

where does the heart end
and i begin-
obtuse separation

*

rain filled Sunday
his leaving footprints
still damp in the doorway

*

water ring
on the oak table-
lonely moon

*

blank journal
by the bedside-
a story unwritten

*

strength in letting go
I dip my toe in the river-
overturn a stone

*

girls night out-
bogo on the appetizers-
I drink for two

*

driving solitary
in rush hour traffic-
one way conversation

*

local florist
daffodils in bloom-
get- well gift to self

*

park birds string lace
limb to limb-
just me and my shadow

*

morning cigarette
smoke rings
dissipate

*

unread text message
just to say hi-
soup on the backburner

*

summer storm
even the cacti
yearn

*

a house moth
flutters in the lamplight-
my first smile in months

*

sky alight
with firecrackers-
independence day

****

About the Author:

Lisa Zaran

Lisa Zaran is the author of eight collections including Dear Bob Dylan, The Blondes Lay Content and the sometimes girl. She is founder and editor of Contemporary American Voices, on online poetry journal in its twelfth year of publication. When not writing Zaran works full time for a Community Service Agency in Arizona that serves individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders.