[76 words]
The panther paces her cage. Heavy velvet paws pad the cell, back and. forth left. and right. Her onyx head nods in syncopation down sinewed shoulders to sure-clawed feet. Melon green eyes, centered obsidian ovals, narrow with frustration too often mistaken for surrender. Her tongue lolls to the side of her jaw, dripping with memories, tastes from the green jungle she still visits when her eyes become slits opening the iron slats of her cell bars.
Diane Funston writes poetry of nature and human nature. She co-founded a women’s poetry salon in San Diego, created a weekly poetry gathering in the high desert town of Tehachapi, CA and most recently has been the Yuba-Sutter Arts and Culture Poet-in-Residence for the past two years. It is in this role she created Poetry Square, a monthly online venue that features poets from all the world reading their work and discussing creative process. Her first chapbook, “Over the Falls”, was published in 2022 by Foothills Publishing. Diane is also a visual artist in mosaic, wool felting, and collage.
