Sarah Gordon: Threshold

The open door beckons
a way out or a way in
 
when all else seems  
narrowly walled and white
 
The open door is a frame
for a painting, precisely
 
measured, carefully cut,
handmade, man-made
 
with power to close off
as a rope or an eye cordons
 
off or includes everything
pertinent to the scene
 
A clean aesthetic, simply
offering what it offers
 
seeing what it sees
and allows you to see
 
the river, the road,
the long line of trees
 
behind which the soldiers
stare, then languish
 
You see them there
their arms weary with
 
holding the guns
withholding their fire
 
You see them in the light
and think of them                                            
 
at night, your soft gown
blowing against you                             
 
as you sketch yourself 
into Life, entering
 
its scarred and beautiful body
its wide and open eye. 

Copyright 2016 Sarah Gordon. First published in The Sewanee Review.