Anastasia Vassos
The poems of Anastasia Vassos have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best New Poets. She is the author of Nostos and Nike Adjusting Her Sandal. Her work has been widely anthologized online and in print journals. Her poems about the Greek-American diaspora have been translated into Greek. She is a reader for Lily Poetry Review, speaks three languages, and lives in Boston.
Belief in Magic
Golden Shovel based on two lines from “Belief in Magic” by Dean Young
It rained last night. My husband rose & closed windows while I
twisted in our sheets, thunder unhinging sleep. Believe
it—my aging blusters forth. I name it reality.
How I try to hold onto those days of energy. Is
my lipstick on straight? Yes, approximately.
Do the waves of crimson break? When I was 65
I thought I was invincible. Now at 74, most of my life gone, a bigger %-
age of time trying to look, well, sexy. Listen, I know I’ll live to be 100. As if
I could stop him grieving my dying—tough job. My beloved, who is all
I ever wanted. I picture my body sailing hell’s five rivers—
those made of map & rain—conduits that are
quick. For now, my heart—how it pounds full.
The days cycle through me—I am an open window of
stasis & desire. My body holds both rib & sky.
