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
The House That Stood Still
I
We will know
when our jars
are empty
when we have
scraped out
what little residue
using
our smallest finger
the tart tang
still alive
on our tongues
II
Every corner webs
spiders
have taken over
though they keep
to themselves
out of shyness
or fear
once cleanliness
was the order of the day
swish of dry mop
in corners of
ceilings and floors
away spiders away
III
Windows no longer
shut and lock
properly
you worry a burglar
will steal in
some night or
anytime really
they have the presence
of mind
the psychic order
denies us
IV
Warped from overload
the medicine cabinet
door juts out
from heat and humidity
expelled by the shower
corrupting medications
we need to stay alive
not just healthy
but alive
we’ve lost sleep
over this
V
Intermittently the doorbell
goes silent
for several months
then seems to get
a second wind
blaring its soprano
loudly through the house
causing you to scream
Shut up! Shut up!
to the point of utter madness
I just cover my ears
wait this out
VI
It takes courage
to descend
into the basement
a dry grey floor
overnight can turn
into a lake
that doesn’t shimmer
black mold dotting
the walls
old things float
forgotten returns
dirty laundry piled
on beach chairs
fish wouldn’t be
caught dead down there
Judith A. Lawrence was the editor/publisher of Lilly Press and River Poets Journal for several decades. She is also a prolific painter, and writer of fiction, memoir, and poetry. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, she now resides in Florida. She has published five chapbooks of poems, written a volume of short stories, and a recent memoir titled “Point of Comfort.” She is currently completing a murder/mystery novel and a book of short poems containing her watercolors, under her nom de plume Juniper Rue.
The Galway Review 