JULIA CHIAPELLA

TRACE ELEMENTS

We unwind this way, two friends,
the trail a little mercury under our feet,
slipping sidelong before the rain starts.

Beneath blue cap’s brim, between
breaths, you say, Someone’s got to
give, because things are giving. Over

the horizon a ragged edge of cloud
appeared, skimmed low. It was my
marriage I’d let slip, barometer rising.

Julia Chiapella’s poetry has appeared in Avatar Review, Edison Literary Review, I-70 Review, The MacGuffin, Midwest Quarterly, OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters, Pirene’s Fountain, The Round, The Wax Paper, and West Branch among others. She co-founded Santa Cruz Writes to enhance literary opportunities for Santa Cruz County, California, residents. The retired director of the Young Writers Program, which she established in 2012, Julia received the Gail Rich Award in 2017 for creative contributions to Santa Cruz County.