Susan Isla Tepper presented her darkly comic play CLANDESTINE in an Equity Premiere Staged-reading, hosted by SHOPTALK, on June 10 at EAG Guild Hall Theatre, NYC. Her latest Novel “Hair of a Fallen Angel” was published by Spuyten Duyvil Books. A twenty-year writer, she’s written 12 published books of fiction and poetry and 7 stage plays. Honors include 21 Pushcart Prize Nominations. Her play ‘The Crooked Heart’ concerning artist Jackson Pollock premiered on October 25, 2022 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in NYC. Adapted from an earlier novel, it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Susan is a Brand Ambassador for The Galway Review. A Youtube music video for her latest novel at: https://youtu.be/W2HVIc4NrqY

Bus To Work

By Susan Isla Tepper

Barely adequate
coat of thinnest wool
sleeves starting to
fray along the edges

Chilly—
near the spreading tree
Monday through Friday
waiting for the bus
to work—
hollyhocks of all colors
climbing in bundles

reached for their portion
of warmth from the sun’s
intermittent display.

Chilly and waiting— nine months
and counting—
Baby took her sweet time.

A man at the bus post
offering his scarf whenever it rained.
Older, reminding you of your dad.

Toward the end he suggested
you name her Alcea.

After the hollyhocks
their proper name, he said.
So you will remember me.

Sloping downward
his eyes were tea cups
showing hairline cracks.

Glenn Bowie is a published poet, lyricist, and photographer from the Boston area. He also owns and operates an elevator company that supplies custom-built elevators for clients from New England to Hollywood. Author of two poetry and photograph collections (Under the Weight of Whispers and Into the Thorns and Honey) on Big Table Publishing, he donates all profits from his books to various charities for the homeless and local animal shelters.