that damp November of the soul
undone by a single late-blown rose
—neon-pink, climbing
Note: The first line borrows from a phrase in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick.
Cory A. Masiak, Wauwatosa, worked for many years as a proposal writer and editor at Alverno College. Interests are wide-ranging: birding, botanizing, hiking; books, music, art and architecture. She can often be found walking along the Menomonee River in search of seasonal marvels.