Alec Solomita’s fiction has appeared in the Southwest Review, The Mississippi Review, Southword Journal, and The Drum (audio), among other publications. He was shortlisted by the Bridport Prize and Southword Journal. His poetry has appeared in The Ekphrastic Review, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, The Galway Review, Bold + Italic, Litbreak, Subterranean Blue Poetry, The Blue Nib, Red Dirt Forum, and elsewhere.  His chapbook, “Do Not Forsake Me,” was published in 2017 and is still available at Finishing Line Press and Amazon. His first full-length book of poetry was published last April by Kelsay Press. He lives in Massachusetts.

Bucket

In overalls, a rare look
in these parts, she was talking
to a fellow gardener, saying
“It was like a miracle.”

I idled my already idle
stroll on the repoured
sidewalk with its initials
and little sneaker print.

“It was like becoming
pretty overnight,”
she almost whispered,
twisting the gray tendrils
from her eyes.

“Before my mother passed
I couldn’t carry a tune
in a bucket,” she said,
without mentioning that
She was actually carrying
a metal bucket
bottomed with loam or earth
or some such germinator.

As I resumed my pace,
their voices got
caught in the breeze.
I couldn’t tell if some
sad song was stirring
in the shiny swinging thing
she held so lightly.