Smoke

feet dangling over edge of a bed in mid afternoon
bare as the day they were born
shorn of their shoes,

one upstanding, one knocked over to the right.
An unbuttoned blouse
almost out of sight

almost out of sight,
because the bed is the main focus
satin sheets spilling everywhere,

spilling everywhere into the camera lens
creamy full breasted overblown,
rose head drooping after the ecstasy of bloom.

After the ecstasy of bloom
quotidian grainy grey of the room
spirit caught in a spiral of smoke,

spiral of smoke
a sprite pirouetting in sultry gloom
where feet dangle over the edge of a bed in mid afternoon .

^

Biography

Patricia-Anne Moore was born in Belfast,and spent most of her life there until she moved to Killaloe Co Clare in 1992 and she has been writing poetry regularly since. She received a "highly commended" certificate for two poems in the "Syllables" national poetry competition in 1996.. Her poem "Void" was chosen for inclusion in Works VIII, the Wexford based collection published for International Women's Day 1997. She was an invited reader at the Belfast Writers' Group festival Belfast-City of Dreams 9th-11th May 1997. She has had work published in "The Cork Literary Review IV " and her poem "Still" was published in Riposte.In August 1997 "At Ballintaggart House" received a highly commended certificate in the Gerard Manley Hopkins Summer School at Monasterevin. In September 1997 she attended the Scriobh Festival in Sligo and was recorded reading her poem "Bridges" ,later heard on RTE's poetry programme "The darkness echoing" on Tuesday 24th September 1997 Her poem "Postures" was published in the Electric Acorn 2 on the Dublin Writers Group Web site in Autumn 1998. Two other poems -"October" and "Aftermath" were published in the 2nd edition of the Electronic Acorn (January 1999). In January 1999 she was selected for a place on the Sixteenth National Writers Workshop organised by NUIG and facilitated by Paula Meehan. In December 1999 her poem "Room " was published in FORCE 10 .She has had poems published in Canada, (U of Calgary, Dandelion, 2000 and the United States , Sunscipts, University of South Florida, 2000. She is currently working towards publication of a first collection. .