Fata Morgana

by Sage Cohen

Because I am unable to distinguish
destiny from desire, I write a poem

in which you are already gone. I walk.
It is spring and the woodpecker

is at eye level, his red belly exposed
over the tree’s new wound.

This is how a mirage finds
its bones. Warm and cold air

collide until what can’t be
reached and what can’t be

known reverse closed and open
revealing a portal into a new

beginning reached only
through illusion.

Short Stories Magazine
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Sage Cohen is the author of the poetry collection Like the Hear, the World from Queen of Wands Press and the nonfiction books Fierce on the Page, The Productive Writer, and Writing the Life Poetic, all from Writer’s Digest Books. Her award-winning poetry, essays and fiction have been published in such venues as RATTLE, Virginia Quarterly Review, and Writer’s Digest.