Tattoo [for my students] by Jeanine Stevens

Because the heart is not heard

gold butterflies

rest on a shoulder.

 

Because joy is not felt

black eagle’s wings

strain taut back muscles.

 

Because the mind is not clear

bluebonnets

weave tendrils at the hairline.

 

Because the eye is uncertain

white tear shapes link bony wrists.

 

Because the ear cannot hear

narrow feathers

creep from under the collar.

 

Because the voice cannot speak

red checkered hearts

skip down the lifeline.

Jeanine Stevens has three Pushcart Nominations, and was the 2013 winner of The Macguffin Poet Hunt for her poem "New Delhi," judged by Philip Levine. Her work has appeared in Poet Lore, South Dakota Review, Valparaiso Poetry Journal and Ekphrasis. She is the author of "Sailing on Milkweed."