The Woman Who Won’t Take a Lover
The afternoon slowly trickles between
her spread fingers, over her forehead,
into her closed eyes. She lets herself sink
to the floor, onto her knees.
Hard wood, splinters, rusty nails
mark her flesh.
An insect buzzes, thuds against
the dirty windowpane.
Today she feels equally
trapped. No wings or vision.
Dust motes settle.
She is still.
Head bent.
From the park children’s summer voices.
A goldfinch in the nearby pine.
The clock’s pendulum’s familiar rhythm.
Nothing has her attention
except the swelling of her lust.
Barbed wire cuts into her upper thigh.
A drop of blood congeals.
© Rose Mary Boehm
(First published by POETRY QUARTERLY in 2023)
Rose Mary Boehm is a German-born British national living and writing in Lima, Peru. Author of two novels, short stories, eight poetry collections and one chapbook, her poetry has been published widely in mostly US poetry reviews (online and print). She is a several times ‘Pushcart’ and a ‘Best of Net’ nominee. All her recent books are available on Amazon. The new chapbook, ‘The Matter of Words’, was published in June 2025, and a new full-length collection has been slated for publishing in 2027. https://www.rose-mary-boehm-poet.com/
