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This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book “Floating Island” Down in the Dirt, v206 (4/23) Order the paperback book:

Order this writing that appears in the one-of-a-kind anthology Forbidden Library the Down in the Dirt Jan.-April 2023 issues collection book		get the 420 page Jan.-April 2023 Down in the Dirt 6" x 9" ISBN# perfect-bound paperback book:

The Pregnant Pause

After the painting, Analies, Tulips and Anemones by Henri Mattisse

Deborah H. Doolittle

Sitting between six of one
and a dozen of the other—
the anemones and tulips, that is—
and in reaching over her book
to turn the page, she has stopped
to look up at you. (Yes, at you!)

You can’t help noticing how
her green sleeves blend in with
the arms of the green-backed chair
and how her orange blouse mixes
with the color of her hair.
Try not to stare. You know it’s rude.

Behind her, the wall is as blue
as the night sky shining through
the small lattice-paned windows.
The table, too, reflects that same
dusky cobalt-type blue. You
wish that she would read to you.

Wordlessly, she has captured
your attention. It’s not how
her hands hover over the emerald
illustrations nor how four hearts
peek behind her plunging neckline,
it’s the wink she directs straight at you.

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