Troubled Window
A poem by Diane Elayne Dees

Troubled Window

When my home alarm beeped,
I saw a message—my problem,
it said, was “troubled window.”

The concept of a troubled window
was new to me, but the glass—
a bay window—is, after all, tinted,
and on a cloudy day,
it is a wall of darkness.
On any day, it absorbs my essence
as I make multiple passes—
to make coffee, to get a glimpse
of pine trees and passing dogs,
to reflect on my fatigue, my age,
my past and future, and to wonder
if I am ever grateful enough,
disciplined enough, anything enough.

Perhaps I am a troubled window,
tinted by trauma, and unable
to reflect all the surrounding light.
Perhaps somewhere in the universe,
there is a faint beeping, a warning
that my essence, my transparency,
bears some vague fragility,
like glass that is strong, yet—
if subjected to pressure—can shatter
into pieces of sand and ash.

About the Author:

Diane Elayne Dees is the author of the chapbooks, Coronary Truth (Kelsay Books), The Last Time I Saw You (Finishing Line Press), and The Wild Parrots of Marigny (Querencia Press). Diane, who lives in Covington, Louisiana, also publishes Women Who Serve, a blog that delivers news and commentary on women’s professional tennis throughout the world. Her author blog is Diane Elayne Dees: Poet and Writer-at-Large.

author blog: https://dianeelaynedeesauthor.blogspot.com/

tennis blog: https://womenwhoserve.blogspot.com/

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