by Ilene Millman
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| Source: The New York Times, April 22, 2021 |
in a blue funk in sunk in a fly in amber a pig in a poke
no walk in the park this tempest in a teapot this stitch in time
a brick in my hand its foot in my door like a fox in the henhouse
plugged in unhugged in in what, more than a year in?
a woman’s place in in the homein inthehome a man’s place inthehome
inthehome the child cuckoo in the nest sitting in the catbird seat
couched in down in drawn in and done in carved in stone, no exit.
at this juncture/moment/ point in time
oh, to be out in left field back in business full swing in quest of
caught in the act of caught up in in cahoots with
to be in contact in contact with in good company
in touch in touch with walking out and about in
and in view of knee deep in teeth in zhuzhed up laughing in the aisles
out in all in in awe of
In addition to writing poetry, Ilene Millman is a speech/language therapist currently volunteering as tutor, tutor trainer and assessor for her county Literacy Volunteers organization. Her poems have been published in a number of print journals including The Journal of New Jersey Poets, Nelle, Connecticut Review, Paterson Review, Passager, The New Verse News, and anthologized in several volumes including the recently published Show Me Your Papers. She is an associate editor of The Sow’s Ear. Her first book of poetry, Adjust Speed to Weather, was published in 2018.