You sense the beginning
Itch becomes ache
The ache a dull throbbing
Sun too brilliant
For these eyes
Each coffee scoop
A reminder
Every brush stroke
A twinge of the habitual
The plodding creeping toward demise
It is not the question marks,
The perpetual wonder of it all
But these small things
That hurt the most
The agony of the spilled milk
The crushing defeat of the traffic jam
And the torture of putting on
Your shoes for another day
— Always the inevitable shoes.
Sarah R. Bloom, once known as “The Orchid of the Philadelphia Poetry Scene,” is attempting to blossom once again after many years of motherhood, spiritual discovery, and becoming a Photo Editor for Chelsea House Publishers. Her poems have been published in several small publications, and a biography of Queen Latifah written for middle-school students, praised by The School Library Journal as a “well-rounded biography” and “accessible,” was published in 2000.