The dress of new beginnings

by Margaret Gudkov

I wear the dress of new beginnings
With the hope of a desert flower yearning for rain
It's heavy on the side of decoration, pulling to the ground
Reminding of itself while the days exchange for nights
Again and again, carousing through the running madness

Where should I lay the foundation?
Brushes or pencils, needles or pins
Canvas or notebook, skein or thread
The choice belongs to a shadow of hesitation
And Alice left Wonderland a long time ago

In an era of uncertainty, the usual suspects aren’t helping
I have to search other sources to find the river where it dried before
Wake up from a wailing ambulance, thinking it's the wolves' chorus
The nightmares, normal signposts of Covid-19 science fiction
Too much medicine, too little alcohol

Now the masks, wearing them, a drag
Not like you or I did not wear them before, plenty
The mask of a housewife, the mask of a siren, or whatever else
On top, a different accessory added, necessary, I know
Plus the dress of new beginnings...tough, isn’t it

Poet biography:
Margaret Gudkov was born in Moscow in the Soviet era as a teenager and has been a US citizen and New York resident for many years.  Poetry has always been a significant part of Russian culture, and successful poets are much-respected there.  Margaret’s experience growing-up in that culture gave her a love of poetry and a desire to express her own thoughts and feelings through poetry.   Later, her extensive travels as an adult, primarily in Egypt, India, and Europe, greatly enriched her poetry. 

Margaret is the author of several books of poetry, including The Four Seasons of Life, and Her Body Emitted Butterflies, and was a contributor to two poetry anthologies, Ripples: Friends In Verse (principal author Jackie Summers), and Enchanted:  Love Poems and Abstract Art, all of which are available on Amazon.