Susan Isla Tepper is a twenty-year writer and the author of 11 published books of fiction and poetry and 3 stage plays. Her play ‘The Crooked Heart” concerning artist Jackson Pollock premiered on October 25, 2022 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in NYC. Another play, LADY IN A POST BOX, co-written with poet and writer Ciaran O’Driscoll is moving toward production. Tepper’s new Novel satire titled ‘Office’ has been released by Wilderness House Press. Another novel ‘Hair of a Fallen Angel’ will be released in the winter.
http://www.susantepper.com

Rising

By Susan Isla Tepper

At the edges of Long Lake
past stretched borders
evergreens stood unchanging
in lines like soldiers
far as the eye could see.
Actually it was a river
bastardized by the locals
over a century past
that name stuck—
To call something what it’s not
is wrong but didn’t resonate—
nor did it resonate with the man
who would fish there
what would be his last time.
Robust in late middle age
nevertheless tree roots
discovered his ankle
plunging him forward,
his wife’s soft voice
coming through as a cold gurgle
as he went under.
The night before, readying for bed
anointing her wrists with perfume
and behind her ears,
she’d expressed a desire
to join him; he waved her off
saying he’d be rising
far too early for her comfort.

Digby Beaumont is an award-winning artist. His work has been published extensively in collaboration with writers of fiction, poetry and music. He works on portraits, still lifes, landscapes and a series of drawings on the theme of what it is to be human. He works with acrylic paint, mostly on canvas board, pen and ink on paper and mixed media. Digby became a professional artist in 2021. He is also a widely published writer. http://www.DIGBYBEAUMONT.COM