Jacqueline Jules is the author of three chapbooks, Field Trip to the Museum (Finishing Line Press), Stronger Than Cleopatra (ELJ Publications), and Itzhak Perlman’s Broken String, winner of the 2016 Helen Kay Chapbook Prize from Evening Street Press. Her poetry has appeared in over 100 publications including The Broome Review, Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, Hospital Drive, Snakeskin Poetry, and Imitation Fruit. She is also the author of 40 books for young readers. Visit www.jacquelinejules.com.
The Fisherman’s Wife
Not satisfied
with the cottage
the fish conjured
in place of a shack,
she requested a castle.
Luxury not enough,
she demanded power.
We all know
where her greed ended—
in the hovel where she began.
But what is the warning for me?
Not to ask too much if by chance
I meet a magic fish?
Or to remember that cottage or castle,
there is always someone with more.
And if I lose sleep
over what I do not have,
I will never rest again.
Wabi-sabi
Wabi-sabi, the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection.
Purple stain on the couch.
Broken latch on the back gate.
Suspicious spot on an MRI.
Can a Jewish woman
married to worry
learn wabi-sabi?
Can she admire the character
in the cracked coffee mug,
press her lips against
the cool ceramic, unafraid
of the jagged chip on the rim.
My blemished cup
still holds warm liquid.
A thin line shows
something broken
was repaired.
Beauty mark, not flaw.