Iridescence
Melineh Yemenidijian
She sits alone
in a dark kitchen-
plate of stale rye
before her
waiting for him
to patch the roof
against rain
She stands alone-
iris of sky;
clouds tremble
with the wrath
of petulant gods
but it will be she who smiles
the rainbow across the sky
She dances alone
dew glistens
in her hair,
with each step
Hope sticks
like jacaranda blooms
to the bottom of her soles
Melineh Yemenidjian, a lifelong Armenian American poet, studied poetry at California State University of Long Beach. She is a member of the Community Literacy Initiative (CLI) and serves on the International Armenian Literary Association (IALA) poetry committee aimed to support and celebrate emerging writers. She reviews books Gatsby House Publishing, and performs regularly at open mics. Her poetry has appeared on public television and in Armenian Weekly, 99andcounting, VoiceCatcher, HyeBred Magazine, and multiple spotlights in h-pem. She is currently compiling a manuscript.