Works by
Christina M. Rau
"Able Was I"
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Able Was I
By Christina M. Rau
A three cornered hat,
A single red-cheeked tear:
That’s how I remember Napoleon.
A small man of great character
With a big nose and
An arm that ended at his
Wrist: a brass-buttoned jacket
Clearly defining the end of his
Slinged limb.
His other hand held up next to his
Elephant ear, fingers curled forwards,
Wriggling slightly up and down,
Open and closed, his palm and
Forearm ever-so-slightly
Swaying side to side in rhythm
With palm fronds behind him.
His toes wetter with every wave,
Two ashy eyes squinting
In relentless sun, failing to hold
The blip on the horizon as it
Goes over the edge.
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At the tender age of 6, Christina M. Rau was a tightrope walker. She left the circus when she realized that it didn't really pay any money. Instead, she became a poet, realizing too late that poetry offered even less of a living. Because she is masochistic and needs to supplement her income, she is a full time English professor at a college on Long Island in New York. She has been published in several magazines, most of which are now defunct, and received her MFA from Southampton College, LIU, which is also now defunct. |
