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Inspiration for the Spirit

A lovely place to wander for poetry and inspiration to soothe the soul

Home ▷ Dorothy Doyle Mienko ▷ The Great Gatsby Breaks My Heart

The Great Gatsby Breaks My Heart

by Dorothy Doyle Mienko

"The Butterfly Couple" by J. C. Leyendecker, 1923

click to enlarge

It isn’t the way he stares
over the black satin sound
nor his unshakable belief
in the dock light.

I thought it was the impossible way
he loves her, but it isn’t that either;
we all know she was built only
of silver and gold.

It’s the pool, his blood in the water,
thin circle of red against the current;
the moment there isn’t any green left,
that’s when I break.

Copyright © Dorothy Doyle Mienko • Selection from Sundress Publications • All rights reserved.
Painting: “The Butterfly Couple” by J. C. Leyendecker, 1923.

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