The red onion by Deborrah Corr

Deborrah Corr has earned an Honorable Mention in Streetlight’s 2024 Poetry Contest
The red onion

is a purple globe.
I hold it, let my skin
adore its slick,
smooth contours.
Then I bear down
with a knife. A slice
reveals a maze.

No, I’ve misspoken.
I’m mistaken.
There are no passages
with doorways
through which you
wander, puzzled how
to get to the center
and find your way
back again.

Just white corridors,
inescapable layers,
lined in lilac. Rotating,
arriving always
where you started.
I begin to think
monotony. I think
hospital hallways,
blank anxiety.
No arriving
at the center.

Let me start again,
wipe away sulfuric
tears and squeeze
inside the tiny curves,
the quiet pressure
of repetition. I could
so gladly circle here,
drifting through
the violet light, letting
the onion’s magic
empty my eyes.

pile of red onions
Red Spring Onions by US Dept of Agriculture. CC license.

Deborrah Corr
Deborrah Corr is a poet residing in Seattle. Formerly a teacher of young children, she now devotes her time to the joy and craft of poetry. She is the author of the chapbook
Naked Rib coming out in February 2025 (Finishing Line Press). Her poem “Night Vision”
was awarded an honorable mention in the Connecticut River Review 2024 contest.
Other poems have appeared in several journals including Streetlight Magazine, Sunlight
Press, Catamaran, The McNeese Review, and others.

Follow us!
Facebooktwitterinstagram
Share this post with your friends.
Facebooktwitterpinterest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *