“Mellifluous Coos” by Gwenn Nusbaum

Mellifluous Coos

My mother calls me darling,
and I wonder who she means.
I look around the room,
but we are only two.

O, mellifluous coos,
how you heat,
burn, and freeze
the senses.

Sensing my hesitancy,
my mother recedes
like an exotic animal
I almost held.

Gwenn Nusbaum

Gwenn A. Nusbaum is the recipient of a Pushcart Nomination, Gradiva Nomination, and Honorary Mention. Her poems have appeared in numerous on-line and print literary journals, including Brief Wilderness, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Edison Literary Review, Evening Street Review, Lips, Louisville Review, Plainsongs, Rattle, Schuylkill Valley Journal, and Voices la Luna. A long-time Manhattanite, Gwenn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and retired psychoanalyst who provides life and creativity coaching via her private practice. She is the founder of the Gwenn A. Nusbaum-WWBA Scholarship for emerging poets.  

Headshot: Laura Merrill

Photo Credit: Staff