Mel Sherrer

https://youtu.be/aw2WvKWNoq4I

RitualMy expectation is to rise
every morning
with a Texas dawn ripping my eyes
open like a sweaty Sunday shirt.

I expect the complaints of abused bones
creaking in marriage
with cartilage
I expect the ache of every hour ago.

Expect boredom
Expect wander-lust
Expect complacency

But then –
The burden of the day unfolds

There are rings of dried coffee
in your abandoned mug

like those of a newly fallen tree

I know how many sips you took this morning

how many steps through the door

before kicking off your shoes

whether you went for the mail

or finger-raked your hair

or if you rushed out –

forgetful and frantic.

I know which thing you forgot.

These are sacred pieces of a story

I’ve loved in re-telling

Each time I grow younger.

Blessed ritual.
You starting your day, in ways

I know

have known.

II

RemainsHow old is the oldest thing we own?
Is it something we’ve collected
Something made by our overlaying hands
an heirloom tucked away, coveted
knick-knack on a bottom shelf
something made of clay or glass?
Is it the memory of a friend – we’ve loved and lost
– together
Is it that ancient between us?
Is it lasting?
What is our dusty relic
which calls to us

Come inside – home.

Whatever it is – left when you’ve gone
a scroll, a scar, a microchip, a pile of dust and ash

leave that to me

with me

for me.

 

Mel Sherrer completed her MFA at Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She uses her Southern roots and knowledge of sonic aesthetic to create poems which have personal reverence for place, time, and societal evolution. Mel has been performing poetry for more than ten years. She is currently the Managing Poetry Editor for South 85 Journal, and she regularly interviews writers for our blog. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she is an avid performer, angler, and Nerf collector.

Liz Valvano, bassoon, is beginning her Doctorate of Musical Arts in double reed performance at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She completed her Masters in Music at Texas State University, woodwind performance under the tutelage of Daris Hale and Dr. Ian Davidson May 2017, and her BA in music and chemistry at Hollins University in May 2015, studying under Danny Felty of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she performs with the UNLV Symphony Orchestra and Honors Graduate Wind Quintet.