Ignoring Rough Weather by Martha Christina

Because the sun
is shining, we ignore
the forecast, ignore
the gathering clouds
we can't identify by
name: cumulous?
cumulonimbus?
Nor do we know
what they portend.
Portend, hardly
ever used, even
in poetry.

Did I say "we"
in the opening
lines? As if I
weren't alone
with only my cat
to hear me.
The sun is shining,
I tell her again.



Martha Christina has published two collections: Staying Found (Fleur-de-lis Press) and Against Detachment (Pecan Grove Press). Her work appears in earlier issues of Red Eft Review, and recently in Star 82 Review, Crab Orchard Review, and Tiny Seed Journal. Born and raised in Indiana, she now lives in Bristol, Rhode Island.