September 15th, 2025
Poetry Contest #23 – First Place
by Evangeline Dorval
Indian patchouli in a little clay pot from 1993
sits on The Guide to Modern Glassblowing –
#1 American Bestseller
in some alternate world, i suppose
where the bronze sword in the corner isn't
shrouded in dust and
someone actually wears the
huge skull rings behind the glass
how many figurines of the Lord
does one need to sell
to make it in this market?
and how does the Holy Porcelain One feel
beside the freemason belt buckle
and deck of oracle cards –
The Hermit flipped upward
in its plastic-pagan-dirty-hippie glory?
my leather shoes bend the
wood floors of your shop. they creak
and i wince at the breaking of
a silence that seems ancient.
or, does someone really play the
Tibetan hymnal tapes
askew on the shelf
or fiddle with the AM radio near the door?
you regard me in silence,
your gaze gnawing at the back of my skull
tracking my faded red hair as it
reflects in the bowls of
100 decorative spoons
About the Poet
Evangeline Dorval resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Evangeline Dorval's Artist Page.
Keywords: flea market
Next in Wax Mag #8:
Not Too Meaty
Poem by Nashrah Tanvir
Back to Wax Mag #8
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