Bzura
Susan H. Case
She has three last names
none real.
One for each marriage and
one mangled
from a trip through Ellis Island
(as if that kerchiefed head could pass for English)
the injured one lasting a century
a name taken from the Polish river
Bzura, found on a faded map, a place
marked by nothing
but a history of futile
fighting back. These three names jumble
anagrams in Garamond
recorded in a book of yearnings.
Today she's River Woman
made of dried mud.
And tomorrow a package arrives
addressed to another.
Gornisht, she says, glances
backward. Ungrips the past.
Begins to unwrap.
Susan H. Case is a college professor in New York City. Recent work of hers can be found in the anthologies Yowl and Poems for the Mountains. She is the author of The Scottish Café (Slapering Hol Press, 2002), which is currently being translated into Ukrainian.
© 2006 by Zeek Magazine and the author. This article may not be distributed for commercial purposes without the express written permission of Zeek Magazine (). Reprints and other distributions must contain this copyright notice.
This entry can be found online at: http://www.zeek.net/611bzura/