Bridal illusion is a soft
mesh net fabric
often used for veils
or layered over opaque
cloth to create an
ethereal effect. Illusions
are peaceful places.
She preferred living there.
All rough edges
are softened. Even the barbs
from the few spearheads
that do penetrate dissolve
and the spear can be
easily removed
leaving only a tiny speck
indicating where the puncture
had been. No pain
whatsoever. In illusion,
all flatware is sterling,
all Christmases, gilded,
all china, Limoges.
The plans to smother her
one Autumn day
in the deserted
Forest Preserve in northern
Illinois on the uphill
footpath by holding
his palm over her mouth
and nose and then
sliding their infant
under the surface
of the nearby river
until he drifted
away, thwarted
only by the muted
sounds of distant voices,
were misunderstandings.
Later, she thought
the sideboard too
angular. She wrapped
it in illusion.
Looked better that way.
Martha Ellen is a retired social worker living on the Oregon coast. She has an MFA from Portland State University. Her poems and prose are published in various journals and online forum. She writes to process her wild life.