The world falls in on itself
like stacks of dominos
on your uncle's table as he
slaps a black-and-white
down; folds out its limbs
like a green maple on the
side of the highway, black
bark pockmarked with eyes;
the world breathes in like
a slow-growing stomach,
the rising of coppery
magma from the cracks
of the earth; folds over
the bone-sharp creases
of a thousand paper cranes.
— Sarah Williams-Devereaux
Sarah Williams-Devereux teaches poetry for the Madwomen in the Attic workshops at
Carlow University. Her poetry has been published in Pittsburgh Love Stories (The New
Yinzer, 2004), Voices from the Attic and Sampsonia Way. She has been a guest poet on Prosody, a public radio show on NPR affiliate WESA FM featuring the work of national writers. She lives in Squirrel Hill. Many writers featured in Chapter & Verse are guests of Prosody, produced by Jan Beatty and Ellen Wadey. Prosody airs every Saturday morning on 90.5 FM.
