“In a Quiet Moment” by Hilary Melton

Hilary Melton

IN A QUIET MOMENT

In a quiet moment,

maybe a sunny day drive

alone,

it can slip in before I notice—

imagining myself if

he were dead.

And sometimes, unable to stop

screaming,

my vocal cords snap.

Other times—I sleep

through the night, pack a bag

and hitch-hike to Montreal.

Still

if I could go now—as if he

never happened—

to a store selling ten-year-olds

and browse through the selection:

smart ones, athletic ones,

well-behaved ones

and one in the corner—

there humming tunelessly

glancing this way and that

following light and shadows

those Elizabeth Taylor blue eyes

that one-sided smile—

I’d point and say,

him.

—from Rattle #41, Fall 2013
Tribute to Single Parent Poets

__________

Hilary Melton: “Experiences, like being a single parent of a child with special needs, feel grounded and more real when I land them solidly in poems. Writing poetry for me is not an easy process and is one I try to avoid. I am motivated sometimes because I know what I am feeling isn’t unique to me, and maybe I can write it down in a way that will help some reader somewhere feel heard or not so alone.”