AN UNSEEN FORCEFIELD

by Emily Black


It is so still today, it’s eerie, like being
in the eye of a storm. There’s not a breath
of wind. Spanish moss hangs placidly,
heavy with wanting, like a lover, wanting

to be stirred by an outside force. Only
gravity exerts a pull, it’s forcefield unseen.
A limp flag in front of the courthouse clings
tightly to its metal flagpole, the two as tranquil

as an old married couple behaving as though
the world were at peace. In this calmness,
no birds are about, though a weak, watery sun
rose an hour ago and failed to color our gloomy

horizon. The sky looks gray and bleak. I, too,
feel like I’m suspended, waiting for something
ominous to happen. No bombs drop, no guns
are fired. We are not at war. At least…
                                                              not yet.


* * * * *

Emily Black, the second woman to graduate in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida, enjoyed a long engineering career, and in time, blended that with a career as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She is published in numerous journals. Her first poetry book, The Lemon Light of Morning, was published by Bambaz press in 2022 and her second poetry book, We Feed Dragons to the Moon, by the same publisher in March 2024.