Mapless in Underland

By Melinda Smith

Mapless in Underland brings more of Melinda Smith's fresh, surprising poems, deliberately accessible yet intensely thought-provoking.
Praise for the poem 'Bride and Best Man discuss arrangements', published in this collection:
'Melinda Smith captures the danger and desire of an illicit relationship "with sidelong ripple-whispers and the light but

• Language: English
• Publisher: Debbie Lee
• Release date: Jun 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781740279727

Melinda Smith

Melinda Edenburgh Smith is the mother of three boys Mykel, Matthew, and Andre. Melinda was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and currently resides in Atlanta, Ga. She is a prolific writer, spoken word artist, mentor, life coach, intercessor and worshipper that truly has a big heart and a love for God's people. CEO and founder of Phoenix Risings Enterprises, which includes her tax preparations and credits repair business. Melinda's motto is "Rise, Rebuild, Restore" which is based on Isaiah 61:3. God will give you beauty for your ashes.

Book preview

Losing things

Trackless

---

You’d think I’d stop bringing

road maps on these river journeys

but having the wrong

scheme of the wrong things

terrifies less

than drifting

without coordinates

here, where all paths ever taken

are equally hidden

and the waters forget you

as soon as you pass over.

Trajectories

---

A corker in her day,

at twenty she struck sparks

from a young engineer.

---

He hooked her

telling the Bridge’s story

– the spidery, swaying halves,

their tenterhooks mid-air meeting:

---

north shore, south shore and a lucky arch.

---

They married in June. She followed him

down to the raw uncertain Snowy.

That first winter nearly finished them

but by the next one

they had knuckled down to things:

taming rivers, raising sons, saving for a farm.

---

The day they took possession

of their prized Monaro acres

was their seventeenth anniversary.

He thought he might run for mayor.

---

They never expected the stroke.

Doc took her aside:

‘His limbs are useless, love. Reckon

you’d better learn to drive.’

It felt like being mugged.

---

Near the end

he sat in the kitchen, staring,

loose change scattered on the placemats.

He looked at her.

‘Gawd, Dot, I’m frightened now.’

He fingered the coins.

‘I don’t know what these are.’

---

He hated her having to feed him.