Early Cascade by Alice-Catherine Jennings

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.
First Published by Banshee Press in 2017. Author’s Update: I currently live in Sant Fe, New Mexico. My most recent book of poems Quilling Will is now available from Assure. Press.