I Can Walk Through Walls of Words

By Jessica Ursell

when red deer antlers 
poke through the hardwood floor
that’s a signal I can’t ignore
reminding me I can walk 
through walls of words 
into a poem of 
Japanese cherry blossoms
and emerald birds

pink tufts of poufy fluff surrounds 
the soft grass strewn
with rich coffee grounds
mingling scents sweet and hearty 
gazing across the verdant carpet
I spy the garden party

jewels of turquoise
lavender and aroma of pear
dot each and every
silver backed chair

beside an ice blue lake
a dove with glittering wings
glides toward fizzy
burbling orange springs

dancing while balancing easily
on a spinning top
this fest I wanted
never to stop

how free I feel, I felt
imbibing deeply
the air of this curiously
luscious veldt

Jessica Ursell lives with her husband in Southern Italy where, in addition to her public advocacy against all forms of bigotry and antisemitism, she writes poetry and essays addressing the complex interplay between trauma, power, love, loss, and madness. Published works include: At the Country Club with Superman, and Standing Up for the Voiceless: My Fight with Royalty in Anne Frank’s House, The Jewish Writing Project. Sedimented Rock, and Climbing Vesuvius in Stilettos, Writing In A Woman’s Voice. A Still-Life Collage of Lost Objects, February 2024 print issue of Down in the Dirt magazine. Find more of Jessica’s work in Iron Words: Israel War Stories, Ritualwell, and Fellowship & Fairydust.