Ave Jeanne Ventresca
SELF PORTAIT / reading between the lines
in the background, rainy day people
walk through abundant sorrows. have
learned how to balance through early
morning wind, between thick cracks
of concrete and kicked cans of red.
feeling sad, heart in this noisy gutter,
another life lost to a sharp blade
in his back and
friends that failed
to understand. deciding not to report
what he witnessed, was a decision
he would live with, wear like a badge
on his denim jacket. hoping others
wouldn’t see. he attempts to read minds
of others, empathize with threadbare children
who are all alone. notice their shadows upon
the shoreline, like a novel with corrupt
antagonists, they shuffle across dusty roads.
durable survivors, all of them. whose entrance
and exist is of vital importance to read.
Ave Jeanne Ventresca (aka: ave jeanne) is an American/Italian poet, who delves into social and environmental concerns across nine poetry chapbooks. With a notable editorial background, she edited Black Bear Review and served as publisher of Black Bear Publications (USA) for two decades. A poem from her latest collection, Noticing The Color of Ordinary, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2019. Look for her poetry in lHRAM’s Literary Magazine.