artwork: ralph murre
Anticipation
by Ellaraine Lockie
I like the not knowing
The span of time
that suspends in exquisite tension
When possibilities are endless
and optimism animates ambition
without ignorance deceived as denial
I like the not knowing
The span of time
after submissions are sent
And suspense is delivered
daily by the mailman
Dreams of literary immortality
that stay alive in his empty hands
I like the not knowing
The span of time
since failing the mammogram exam
When statistics leave space for faith
Between fresh appreciation
for perfectly balanced breasts
And the scalpel that slices
symmetry into grave reality
I like the not knowing
The span of time
where you live luminous in my mind
Wishful thinking and what ifs
with fairy tale endings
Before facts dim the delusion
or convention devours us
I like that span of time
The not knowing
~ previously published in California Quarterly
