Diane Melby
Salon for Creative Expression
Nine Siblings and Me
This poem has 12 characters – Him, Her, Me, Others.
That’s a lot, I know.
Others are extras. They’re important to the poem’s tension.
The setting is a chaotic room above another room, where chaos is born.
Don’t worry about the room downstairs, that is where Him and Her play
their games – manipulating each other like marbles on a tin grid,
executing elaborate schemes to block Him in, prevent Her escape.
From our room, Me and Others play our escape games too.
Worry about the windows from which we jump and how we dodge
sinkholes of sludge to collect skunk cabbage and cattails
that we smoke under streetlights shot out with sling shots
after hours of freeze tag and red rover and hide (but don’t seek.)
Wait for sleep to find Him and Her.
Wait for Others to find their beds.
Wait, watch Me fly solo
into the night.
Diane Melby
Originally published by The Ravens Perch, May 9, 2025.
Guest Artist
Lisa Taka Younis
When I was a child in Summersville, WV, many of my teachers encouraged my education, especially my writing. I was surrounded by people who believed in me and for those caring individuals, I owe a debt of gratitude. I am in a constant state of learning. For me, story writing is a challenge, yet extremely fun. Hopefully, the reader gets it. I love writing. I love the research. I love being with people and tucking away the amazing things they say and incorporating them into my work. I love my stories. I’m a work in progress and I look forward to the finished product.