Maggie Koger

Maggie Koger

Maggie Koger is a school media specialist with a writing habit. She and her husband, the writer Grove Koger, travel to the Mediterranean frequently where they enjoy swimming from a sand beach, visiting art galleries, and sampling local foods. September 2015 in Croatia brought back Maggie’s memories of their trips to Spain—especially Barcelona, Majorca, and Menorca.

Maggie Koger has published in Bank-Heavy Press, Kudzu, Montucky Review, Friends of Acadia, and Outside In.

 
Now That You’ve Gone

Our framed posters
Portal (in non-reflective view)
harbors
outcroppings
calanques
Always, the sea washing
Shore-born waves dashing
I, you (we) the sea—and me (now
Straining to feel us (together—
I grasp your phantom hand
Scramble aboard a plein air palette—

No ferry gliding into the 5K harbor at Mahon …
Not shadowed by the rocky ridges of the Formentor …
Without the white witness of calanques near Cassis …
No. We must fly
Aloft on swirling thermals
Circling the cathedral spire
Soaring a Palma sunset
I’ll hear us laughing
Loud among the siren
Seagulls chanting
Come, come, come
Come on, come now

 
Honeymoon at Port de Sóller

Bride and groom all aboard
the vintage Palma-to-Sóller
train. Sway along, bouncing on
wooden seats, clickety wheels
lugging you high into limestone
peaks pierced with long dark
tunnels. Steal a few swift kisses.
Now gaze at shaggy olive groves
imagine life in a derelict cottage.
Descend into Valle de los Naranjos
cradled by Puig Major’s flanks.
Pass luminous orange groves
desiring a taste of their fleshy juice.
Settle into a cozy room facing
Port de Sóller’s calm bay;
drink tea before the siesta
(One sugar or two?)
Sleep lightly until twilight
silvers the water, waiting until
sunlight fires the sea’s taut skin.
to rise and stand by the balcony railing
where you’ll notice a scatter of crystal
melting sugar shining with gold.
He’s been feeding the wasps.

 
Poetry in this post: © Maggie Koger
Published with the permission of Maggie Koger