Poetry
by Katerina Stoykova-Klemer
Visiting
Western North Carolina
Chief George was wearing
clothes of leather
and red paint on his face.
He was not tall
but his crown of beautiful feathers
made him look as big
as the grocery store
in front of which he was
standing, rhythmically squashing
the snow with his beaded moccasins
Excited, we approached him
"Can we take a picture?"
Then my daughter took a shot
of me smiling next to Chief George
with my left arm around his shoulder
Then I handed him five dollars
Back home
I told a friend about Chief George
She said she also took a picture with that guy
last year, but he'd said his name was
Hungry Bear, and she only gave him a dollar
top
Donor
I pilot the helicopter
carrying my organs
I advertise at different destinations
Do you want my heart?
It's a good one…
Do you need a stomach?
This one's been tested
through thick and thin
Tissue, cartilage or skin?
Everyone could use them
Low maintenance, high utility
imported from Europe
Forehead with a blinking third eye?
Bellybutton pointing in?
Two heart shaped kneecaps?
One heart shaped kneecap?
The chopper turns arthritic hands
and makes a wide cut through the air
I'm still intact
flying elsewhere
top
Slow
Dancing with My Demons
I pet their hair
when bony heads with horns
rest on my shoulders
in hope of tenderness
We hold each other's hands
We lock each other's eyes
We savor the dramatic moments
I lead this dance
across the ballroom
across the time past
towards the time left
It will be easier
to cross the time together
with cries of a violin surrounding our steps
breathing as a group
All for one and one for all
top
Katerina Stoykova-Klemer was
born and raised in Bulgaria. She immigrated to the United States
in 1995, and since then, she has worked as a software engineer
in high-tech companies. Presently she is an MFA student at Spalding
University in Louisville, Kentucky. Her poems and stories have
appeared or are scheduled to appear in the following magazines:
Native Speech, Youth, High
School Banner, Pulse, ABV, Weekly Informational for Publishers,
Sliven Work, Army Youth, National Army, September, Black Sea
Lighthouse, Literary Gazette, Bourgas Today, Orpheus (Univ. of
Dayton), Torch, Third Wednesday, Anderbo
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