Susan Marie La Vallee
THE ABSENCE OF ANGELS

They are not in the sun
that hides its light like money.
They are not in the clouds
sucking up the sea through straws.
Not in the damp grass
where each worm wiggles
like a finger toward a beak.
Not in the bread tree
that hangs its fruit
like breasts.
The bushes are red and yellow wigs.
They are not in there giggling
like little girls with a secret.
All morning
it is going to rain
without them.
All morning
there is no fire
in this house
without them.
Only eggs in their cardboard coop.
Only the phone with its quiet life.
My angels must have rowed
out to the Isle of Dreams.
there's a big party going on
and birds to ride to the moon.

(The Long-Islander)

Susan Marie La Vallee lives in a small seaside town on the windward side of Oahu with a cat, a bird and a tropical fish. Originally from Santa Monica, Ca, she relocated there in 1987 and continues to teach English. Her first chapbook, 'Memoirs for Mother,' was released by Birnham Wood Graphics in 2003.