The Old Director

Contributor: Evalyn Baron

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Gracious as fine, lined silver,
Stooped and warm,
Over the hand of his partner,
Dancing a minuet
On a polished parquet of words,
The elusive fox,
Among the grapes,
Juice staining his delicate paws,
Teeth sharp, hungry for sweets,
His delicate nostrils quiver.
He looks for the wine.
The soft white breast,
True with emotion,
Breathing for God,
And he says:

“Give me your finest linen,
White, embroidered, honest.”

A demanding animal,
This old fox.
Scaring young men,
Chasing bursting maidens
Into his soft thin arms
For their juicy hearts.

His soul beats iambic pentameter,
And he hears the words like music
Soaring around his sleeping shut eyes.
His snout smells all colors but,
(Having the miracle of human speech),
His mouth tells only stories
That light the dreary world.


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Evalyn Baron is a retired Broadway actress, recently moved to San Francisco to get some serious writing done. Her memoir - For Better or for Better: A Story of Divorce, Dachshunds, and Everlasting Love - will get to bookstore shelves eventually. She hopes.