Woman Reading.

She licks her finger, little flick
of tongue and fingertip on furlough
to turn a page - 

a motion that distracts her.
The thread of phrase is broken
but for the word at turning -

vessel.
Vessel as in ship or blood?
She has to pause, all context lost

but blouse and skirt, this urge
to take them off
an ache

for something to contain it all.
Maybe vessel, maybe "el" alone,
bobbing on the tongue. Maybe

luscious, maybe just a finger to her lips
is all the afternoon
was asking for.

And lays aside her book.

- Kathleen Flenniken

Picture: "Study of Legs" by Henry Lerolle.