Roe vs. Wade

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About the author
Lauren Fedorko, M.Ed., is an Adjunct Professor of writing at Rutgers University, teaches AP Literature and Creative Writing, and advises the literary magazine for her students. Her passion for writing is longstanding and ongoing, composed mostly of poetry and creative non-fiction. She enjoys exploring, good company, and traveling the world every chance she gets. Her work has previously been published in the Kelsey Review and The Inquirer.

Doreen

I cannot stop myself from clipping
articles on What Allures a Female Frog,
The Red Planet, and Panama’s Spider Monkeys,
forgetting that you no longer need
to understand nature’s mysteries.

In my evening walk I watch pink clouds
duplicate themselves in water,
embrace goslings in shallow ponds,
echo your oneness with nature,
whittling eagles on wild antlers.

I look for you in a starlit sky
wondering if you are a spark
among thousands of shimmers,
and if you are trying to tell me
that death is neither final nor eternal.

Inside your empty house
your carvings grieve
beside white roses and orchids.
I think of you daily as I swim.
You left a chasm in my life.

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About the author
Vida Chu grew up in Hong Kong, came to America for college, and stayed.  Her poems have appeared in many journals.  Two books of poems: The Fragrant Harbor and The Thirteenth Lake, were published by Kelsay Books. She also has children’s stories in Cricket Magazine. Vida has lived in Princeton for over 50 years.