A worn, wooden fence
Stands firm. A boundary between
Myself and life unnoticed
Before today. I wonder –
What lies beyond, concealed,
Behind the steadfast obstruction?
Perhaps an acquaintance or friendly face –
Maybe a kindred soul.
I search the peeled planks for
Ways to peer past my
Gnarled barrier, and to my surprise I spy
A tiny, insignificant knothole.
Has it been there all along?
Secreted from sight – a reality –
A continuation of activity
Hidden long ago from view.
My pulse quickens as I peer through
Discovering a tinge of color –
Not from a face but a garden,
Paused and prepared to rest.
There stand faded flowers held fast
To spent stalks and stems. They wait –
For summer’s end, and
Fall’s signal to slumber.
I turn from the emotionless barricade,
My curiosity satisfied. My heart
In harmony from a new
Perspective of life within my view.
—Joan Raymond
Joan Raymond, a member of WOK since January 2012, completed her BA in English/Creative Writing in Fall 2014 and MA in English/Creative Writing in early 2017. She writes women’s fiction, creative non-fiction, and children’s picture books and dabbles in poetry.