I Know an Old Lady/ poem by Kim Ellis

I know an old lady
old as the pines
she rises in moonglow
to wait for the dawn
shuffling through snow
the crooked mailbox
is empty.

I know an old lady who
sweeps her words into baskets
then sets them alight
sends her smoking critique 
to the Lord on High
(you could have done better.)

I know an old lady who 
swallowed the moon.
Her belly glowed green like a firefly,
and when she spoke
moonbeams poured through her teeth
like torches at midnight.

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Kim Ellis began her writing career with a red crayon under her parents’ coffee table.  Now, as a retired teacher, she is still scribbling away, producing the Karakesh Chronicles, a middle grade adventure fantasy series (from Handersen Publishing), as well as keeping her blog (www.tangledmagic.blog) supplied with poetry, reviews, and other musings.  Her poems, stories, and articles have appeared in Cricket, Stinkwaves, High Five, Hudson Valley Parent, and Chronogram magazines.  She has worked as a teacher consultant with the Hudson Valley Writing Project, a writing group leader, and editor.  Kim lives with her husband and Bengal cat beside the Wallkill River in New York’s Hudson Valley.