Shadows by Jane Hicks


A human can appear in light,
to possess beauty of movement, face,
a perfection of nature. But each time
night fell, our doors shut, I learned
the dark shows truth, brings forth
snakes and vermin, sly movement
with slitted eyes, furtive and quick.

Drop a white hood
over beauty, in the dark, and see
smoky flames reveal festering hate.

I know, learned young, hate hides
its face in unexpected places.
I learned to watch in the dark,
never surprised at things discovered.




A native of upper East Tennessee, Jane Hicks is an award-winning poet, teacher, and quilter. Her poetry appears in both journals and numerous anthologies including Appalachian Review, and Shenandoah. Her first poetry collection is Blood and Bone Remember (2005). The University Press of Kentucky published her latest poetry book, Driving with the Dead, in 2014. It won the Appalachian Writers Association Poetry Book of the Year Award.




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