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

ALCEA

By Susan Isla Tepper

Waiting— shivering
standing near the iron gate
to catch the bus to work

Coming up on nine months
and counting—
will baby take her time?

My coat of thinnest wool
is barely adequate.

I tried sitting
on piled loose stones
making a wall
near hollyhocks of every color
climbing in bundles.
It shifted under my weight.

The blooms reaching for their share
of the sun’s intermittent display.
And, my share?

A man who came every day
for the bus
offered his thick scarf
during inclement weather.
Older, from a different time frame
there stood a true gent.

I noticed him observing
my empty ring finger.
One time asking if I’d picked a name.

Ahl see ahhh… he said with a lilt;
Alcea after the hollyhocks
their true botanical name.
So you will remember
this time spent with me.

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.