By Peggy Shumaker
His hands in her hair, her hands
in his, morning in the shower
they share. His hands cup
foam, easing suds
away from her ears,
her belly soap-slick
against his. Their eyes
close under water
warm enough to
cover the mirror.
Rinsed, she steps out,
her footprint dark
on the mat.
Finest moment
of the day—
soft swipe
of fresh cotton plush,
sequins he collects
from the intimate arc
of her back.
Peggy Shumaker served as Alaska State Writer Laureate and as the Rasmuson Foundation’s Distinguished Artist. She’s the author of eight books of poetry, including Cairn, new and selected. Her lyrical memoir is Just Breathe Normally. Professor emerita at University of Alaska Fairbanks, Shumaker teaches in the Rainier Writing Workshop MFA at PLU. She serves on the boards of Storyknife and the Raz-Shumaker Prairie Schooner Book Prizes. Shumaker edits Boreal Books (an imprint of Red Hen Press) and the Alaska Literary Series at Univ. of Alaska Press, and is contributing editor for Alaska Quarterly Review.