Girl in Yellow Raincoat, and Dog

The rain, like gospel acid,
dissolves and revives in equal measures.
Parts of girl and dog, melted,
weeping off the shallow cliff
of curbside. The girl’s features
have been washed away by the storm,
yet the embryonic portrait of her new face
already fated to emerge.
Her umbrella, a bulimic bruise
or snailshell dome, consorts with the rain,
scars and slashes of silver mucus
blown through Heaven’s sundered veil,
as God sneezes grief upon all the
brave raincoated girls and small brown dogs
of the world.
Notice the forget-me-not
leash between the girl’s hand
and dog’s neck, a gentle query
or supple bond.
Notice the silver lining.

About John Biscello

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, writer, poet, performer, and playwright, John Biscello, has lived in the high-desert grunge-wonderland of Taos, New Mexico since 2001. He is the author of four novels, Broken Land, a Brooklyn Tale, Raking the Dust, Nocturne Variations, and No Man’s Brooklyn; a collection of stories, Freeze Tag, two poetry collections, Arclight and Moonglow on Mercy Street; and a fable, The Jackdaw and the Doll, illustrated by Izumi Yokoyama. He also adapted classic fables, which were paired with the vintage illustrations of artist, Paul Bransom, for the collection: Once Upon a Time, Classic Fables Reimagined. His produced, full-length plays include: LOBSTERS ON ICE, ADAGIO FOR STRAYS, THE BEST MEDICINE, ZEITGEIST, U.S.A., and WEREWOLVES DON’T WALTZ.

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