by Denise Bossarte
Reflecting on the Island Village
There is nothing fancy
to keep you beautiful,
only a sudden breeze along your arms.
No air
conditioning.
No gym or beauty parlor.
Only the pure air, salt in your pores.
Only the door to stop
the outbursts of Aeolus,
the mountain
to steady the winds,
a cracked mirror hanging
from an olive branch.
Donna J. Gelagotis Lee is the author of Intersection on Neptune (The Poetry Press of Press Americana, 2019), winner of the Prize Americana for Poetry 2018, and On the Altar of Greece (Gival Press, 2006), winner of the Seventh Annual Gival Press Poetry Award and recipient of a 2007 Eric Hoffer Book Award: Notable for Art Category. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals internationally, including Cimarron Review, Feminist Studies, Feral: A Journal of Poetry and Art, The Massachusetts Review, and Southern Humanities Review. Her website is www.donnajgelagotislee.com
Denise Bossarte is an award-winning writer, photographer, and artist based in Texas, USA. When she’s not immersed in writing, she turns her lens to the world around her, exploring visual spaces with a keen eye for the unexpected. Her photography captures the powerful imagery that can be found in unusual places. She enjoys writing, exploring new art forms, and teaching contemplative photography workshops. She lives in Texas with her husband and literary cat, Za’ Ji. https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-bossarte-phd-39975841/.