Earth Travel
Elizabeth Swados

No one knows
I am more like an afternoon
on a shore in Scotland
than a person drinking coffee
at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.

At night I merge with
the descending dark that affects
us all in these winter months.

Less words are spoken.
The dancers are inside.
My big old dog is so still
that even his curls sleep.

I will have trouble when the summer comes.

But it is only January 2nd
and I have much
lowering down and dampening
to do. I’m a sponge.
I leak and leave drops where I descend
then lift up. And
the sun can not break through me.

Elizabeth Swados is an award winning author and composer; she is a Tony nominated, Obie award winning theater artist, Guggenheim and Ford Foundation recipient, as well as a Pen/Faulkner citation. Recent publications include: At Play – Teaching Teenagers Theater (Faber and Faber), My Depression (Hyperion), and The Animal Rescue Store (Scholastic).  Her theatrical credits span from Broadway, to off-Broadway, to around the world including Runaways, Missionaries, and Jabu.  Her poetry has appeared in numerous magazines, and her first book of poetry, The One and Only Human Galaxy, was released in April 2009.

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