Elaine Sorrentino – Sparks of Calliope

Landslide

On a steamy July night in 1976
Boz Scaggs, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles
electrified Schaefer Stadium,
thrilling sixty thousand screaming fans.

A rock concert newbie, I was overwhelmed
by the crowd, the roar, the strong skunky smell,
all overlooked by elation at sharing the day
with the boy who had known my heart for four years.

A day-long party, by the time the Mac
crooned “Landslide,” nature was telling me
Find a rest room. How would I navigate
this crowd, I asked my boyfriend.

Taking my arm, he guided me up the stairs
down the ramp (so many ramps),
past the hundreds of stoned concertgoers,
to the entrance of my destination.

Patiently explaining how to maneuver back
to my seat, through the swarms of stoners,
up the ramp – oh God, they all looked the same,
down the steps, he took off for the Men’s Room.

I prayed I could follow his directions back
but I exited the Ladies Room, and there he was, my smiling GPS;
relief flooded my body as I grinned,
gazed into his eyes and said I knew you’d be here,

which in teenage boy-speak
means I have trained you like a dog.
Smile vanished, he disappeared into the crowd
leaving me to find my own way back.

Stage Fright

I’m a solo act
balancing on the edge
laying bare my courage

eyes shut, I teeter
on the precipice
of dive in or chicken out

when a reassuring hand
touches my elbow,
They’re ready for you.

I unclench my eyes
prepared to dip my toe
into unexplored waters

as I step on stage
applause quiets my fears,
and I begin.

Elaine Sorrentino has been published in Minerva Rising, Willawaw Journal, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Ekphrastic Review, Writing in a Women’s Voice, Global Poemic, ONE ART: a journal of poetry, Agape Review, Haiku Universe, Sparks of Calliope, Muddy River Poetry Review, Gyroscope Review, Your Daily Poem, Panoplyzine, Etched Onyx Magazine, and at wildamorris.blogspot.com. She was also featured on a poetry podcast at Onyx Publications.

A Moment of Silence for the Salad Bar

Curtains to the possibility
of sesame cabbage salad
and tapioca pudding
forging a friendship
in the same takeout container,

Adios to sidling up to the bar,
surreptitiously
elbowing my way
to the last pickled beet
among the vinegary cornucopia;

the heavy-weight champion
of abundant choices
as appealing as hitching a ride,
putting Noxema on a sunburn,
or helmet-free biking,

even the sexy plexi
has repurposed itself since 2020,
now guarding teenage cashiers,
instead of red bell peppers,
from sneezers and viruses.

I miss sneaky side glances,
pretending I’m not eyeing
the tempting veggie-protein combo
composed by the stranger beside me
with a thrill-seeking palate;

Goodbye to eight different lettuces,
the thrill of topping tuna salad
with pickles and sunflower seeds,
and daring to pluck tomatoes
and red onion with the same tongs.

Hands

My hands, my hands
my blessing hands
caressing hands
finessing hands,
my hands, made for undressing hands;
gentle, unafraid.

My hands, my hands
my kneading hands
my pleading hands
my feeding hands,
my hands, my interceding hands;
passionate and sure.

My hands, my hands
my guiding hands
deciding hands
delighting hands,
my fashioned-for-providing hands;
grateful for their breadth.

My hands, my hands,
my shielding hands
my healing hands
unyielding hands
they never will be wielding hands;
they have drawn the line.

Elaine Sorrentino, Communications Director at South Shore Conservatory in Hingham, MA, has been published in Minerva Rising, Willawaw Journal, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Ekphrastic Review, Writing in a Woman’s Voice, Global Poemic, ONE ART: a journal of poetry, The Door is a Jar, Agape Review, Haiku Universe, The Writers Magazine, and wildamorris.blogspot.com.

Tag: Elaine Sorrentino

Two Poems by Elaine Sorrentino