Prophet – a poem by Deborah Bailey

Prophet

he pinned the Word
to the table
slicing deep into its pulp
he removed the core
and swallowed 
the sacred seeds

now when he speaks
his words hang heavy
like over-ripe fruit

too richly sweet
to be desired


Deborah Bailey has been writing poetry since she was a teenager. She recently retired after 40 years in social services and 30 years as a master’s level social worker. She has finally mustered courage to begin submitting recent work for publication, hoping others will enjoy her imagery.