Hopping on Seattle ferries,
boarding greyhound buses
to shadow cities where light
never leaches candy apple dye
from long flowing locks of women
once cartoon disciples and Ariel loving girls
who dreamed of mermaid exceptionalism
yet matured into streetwalking artisans,
physicians, philosophers, administrators,
& musicians who strolled street to street
port to port, station to station singing
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do
as they shuffled through turnstiles,
winked at AI machines, scanned tickets,
and ignored social worries that wrinkled
brows on critics who condemned
clasping hands & dancing with strangers
chastising tangos, reprimanding rhumbas
censuring footprints on wet bricks.
Author, poet, educator, Sterling Warner appears in many journals and magazines including RAVEN’S PERCH and ANTI-HEROIN CHIC. Collected works include RAGS & FEATHERS, WITHOUT WHEELS, EDGES, SERPENT’S TOOTH, FLYTRAPS, CRACKS OF LIGHT, HALCYON DAYS, ABRAXAS, and MASQUES: FLASH FICTION & SHORT STORIES. Warner currently writes, hosts readings, and enjoys retirement.
