Arriving Home
Noël Bella Merriam
Image by Maddy Baker
car engine cuts off
that moment in the driveway
we let the silence sit with us
surrounded by brilliant chartreuse
sunlight caressing St. Augustine
oak leaves arcing over the lawn
iridescent green like the cat’s eyes
here in this pause for mother and son
we hold our breath together
embrace this new life we’ve made
as day leans towards its ending
Noël Bella Merriam
Noël Bella Merriam is a Latina artist and poet from San Antonio, Texas. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Texas Poetry Calendar, Rogue Agent, Two Hawks Quarterly, Plainsongs, Cloud Women’s Quarterly, Oye Drum, Pecan Grove Review, Cactus Alley, San Antonio Poetry Anthology, and Boundless 2021: The Anthology of the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival. She was a finalist for the 2021 Saguaro Poetry Prize and she spent many years working as an artist and poet in residence across Texas.