Prelude

by Tamara Madison

The boat of my self
floats on a lake

Fir trees in the distance
sky on the water

Fish-like ripples
stroke my hull

So long without touch,
I’ve gone feral

The dark water’s murmur
is music that soothes me

The tender lake
holds me in its bowl

Tamara Madison is a retired educator whose work has appeared in numerous journals, including the Worcester Review, the Writer’s Almanac, Sheila-Na-Gig, and many others. Her chapbook, The Belly Remembers, and her full-length collections, Wild Domestic and Moraine, were published by Pearl Editions. She is a swimmer and a dog lover, and very glad to have retired before the pandemic set in. Carolyn Monastra is a Brooklyn-based artist, activist and educator. Her recent projects, The Witness Tree and Divergence of Birds, focus on climate impacts on people, landscapes, and wildlife.