Broken Chord

Alone in the orchard, among thin trees, summer leaves
sprawling upward,

they found her reaching for a peach, hungry
but unharmed.

They carried her home, hands full of fruit.
They sang hymns of praise.

Alone in the orchard, you stayed and wandered
toward September,

said you could find more lost faces
behind the leaves

as if the tree’s anchor offered a direction home.

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MARCENE GANDOLFO’s first poetry collection, Angles of Departure, (Cherry Grove Collections, 2014) was a finalist for the Melissa Lanitis Gregory Poetry Prize and the Patricia Bibby First Book Award, and a semi-finalist for the Washington Prize. Her poems have recently appeared in numerous journals, including Poet Lore, The Café Review, DMQ Review, Bayou, and Harpur Palate. She has taught writing and literature at Sacramento City College and other northern California colleges. She lives in Elk Grove, California, with her husband, daughter and three cats.