JOANNE M. CLARKSON | CUSTODY

CUSTODY

The worst parts of the divorce

were Friday and Sunday evenings,

the drive back and forth. Anger

like tires spinning on gravel.

The little sentences of guilt

trying to pry out testimonies

of neglect and betrayal

while I sat in silence clutching

the newest cheap toy

that I always said was exactly

what I wanted. About that time,

in my fifth grade reader, I encountered the myth

of Persephone. The teacher told us it was about

the seasons,

but I knew it told the story

of a car ride where I was forced

to make my way among boulders

and roots, feeling torn

between the house and an apartment. Someone

always saying goodbye

in that voice. Journey I could not

escape that I had no say in,

as if I had choked on some seed

and had no idea of the consequences.

Joanne M. Clarkson's sixth poetry collection, Hospice House, was published by MoonPath Press in 2023. Her poems have appeared in such journals as Poetry Northwest, Nimrod, and Alaska Quarterly Review. Clarkson worked for many years as a professional librarian, then re-careered to serve as a Hospice R.N. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington, by the Salish Sea. Her favorite place to travel is the American Southwest. Learn more at joanneclarkson.com.