Lynn Fanok

Elementary

I have a recurring dream of riding my bike

past your house, you sitting cross-legged

on your porch.

I wave, drop my bike. We string a cat’s cradle,

sing pat-a-cake rhymes, weave chain bracelets

from red clover.

It was your idea to pledge our friendship

by sharing a stick of bubble gum

you pulled from your mouth.

In this dream, we play hide the thimble.

I search room after room. Find you

hidden in plain sight.

Lynn Fanok is the author of Bread and Fumes (Kelsay Books), a book of poems that examines her formative years, a childhood imbued with Ukrainian heritage, ethnic food, language, and complexities of being the daughter of a WWII labor camp survivor. Her work appears in Painted Bride Quarterly, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Red Wolf Press, Tiny Seed Journal, Gossamer Arts Literary Journal, and the poetry anthology, Carry Us to the Next Well (Kelsay Books). Discover more at lynnfanok.weebly.com.

Lynn Fanok

Elementary

I have a recurring dream of riding my bike

past your house, you sitting cross-legged

on your porch.

I wave, drop my bike. We string a cat’s cradle,

sing pat-a-cake rhymes, weave chain bracelets

from red clover.

It was your idea to pledge our friendship

by sharing a stick of bubble gum

you pulled from your mouth.

In this dream, we play hide the thimble.

I search room after room. Find you

hidden in plain sight.

Lynn Fanok is the author of Bread and Fumes (Kelsay Books), a book of poems that examines her formative years, a childhood imbued with Ukrainian heritage, ethnic food, language, and complexities of being the daughter of a WWII labor camp survivor. Her work appears in Painted Bride Quarterly, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Red Wolf Press, Tiny Seed Journal, Gossamer Arts Literary Journal, and the poetry anthology, Carry Us to the Next Well (Kelsay Books). Discover more at lynnfanok.weebly.com.

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