after Lucia Perillo

I couldn’t have waited. By the time you arrived,
the leaves of the asphodel would have dried
and the burrata been past its prime. So I sliced
open the ball of cheese and smeared its
doughy center on a crusted bread topped off
with a pinch of arugula and a cruet of wine.
The blood rains of the Sirocco began to fall.
I shuttered myself in and lay amidst the bundle
of percale sheets with thoughts of the dreamy
mouflons who roam the nearby hills. Ah – that’s
why the chickpeas burned in the pot on the stove.

From issue #5: autumn/winter 2017

About the Author
Alice-Catherine Jennings is the author of Katherine of Aragon: A Collection of Poems (Finishing Line Press, 2016) and Notations: The Imagined Diary of Julian of Norwich (forthcoming Red Bird Chapbooks, 2017). Her poetry has appeared in various publications worldwide. She lives in Austin, Texas.