Saint Julian Press Poet

​Elaine Fletcher Chapman

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LEAVING PATACARA

 

 

Somewhere outside Pittsburgh on the turnpike

near Breezewood, I left the Therigatha, left Patacara,

teacher of non–attachment. I bought yellow roses.

 

I drove to the Squirrel Hill exit and followed

Forbes to Dallas Avenue where the road divided

two cemeteries. I wanted Homewood.

 

I unrolled the map on which someone had drawn

a line with a pen leading to section 15–2.

It was not easy to find her

 

buried within circles of monuments and tombstones,

mostly granite and marble, surrounding

her with unfamiliar names. I parked the car

 

and walked up the slight slope to the newest marker,

where I read, Eleanor Fletcher Walters, her entire name,

unrelated and strange, written in stone.

 

I placed the roses to the side.

Her ashes were buried below in a black box.

I wanted to dig down, find her and then slowly

 

sift her ashes through my fingers

until she was scattered gently over snow,

grey against white, marking an end to our confinement.

 

 

 

Available through ~ IndieBound ~ Ingram Content Group ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Fine Book Distributors & Retailers

Hunger for Salt by Elaine Fletcher Chapman  *  ISBN-13: 978-0-9986404-1-9  *  ISBN 10: 0-9986404-1-7
Saint Julian Press, Inc. * 2053 Cortlandt, Suite 200 * Houston, TX 77008  * Ron Starbuck ~ Publisher-CEO
Phone: 281-734-8721 * Email: ronstarbuck@saintjulianpress.com * www.saintjulianpress.com

 

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PRESS RELEASE - HUNGER FOR SALT

POET