Exterminating Angel Press

Creative Solutions for Practical Idealists.

Marissa Bell Toffoli

Superbloom.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli.

 

Bright poppies wave hello in a lucky breeze.
Parched, we smile for the sun,
move between what shade we can find
or make for each other, your shadow inside mine.
Feel your tired sighs, pause to catch our breath.
My thirsty eyes want it all, the sweet saturation,
as if we were color-starved before.
Yesterday’s deserted, monochrome scene
now a feral bouquet stretching the horizon.
Seeds planted long ago bloom again.
Swathes of native orange, electric violet, canary yellow
embellish bursts of true green stems.
It is not easy to walk through the moment
and bring it with you. There is no map
that tells us how to show up for each other;
we have to find our own way home.
At the end of the day, that first full sip of cool water–
relief, an opening. We shine in the evening light
because we know what awaits after rain.

 

Sublime.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli. There are treasure hunters out on the coldest days in pursuit of snowflakes. A camera fine-tuned to catch what the eye can’t, a poem fit to share a secret. A snowflake in solitary glory, crystallized lines, spokes and circles preserved– an image we can keep. The snowflake itself lasts only seconds […]

Minutiae.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli.   Measure, spend, watch it fly. Bright hummingbird lit upon the air. Passes by. Can’t catch it. Mist in morning light. Can’t earn more. Even yours will come. Take notice, time on your side.

The Longest Day.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli.   Light dwindles, your smile brightens. You should be in bed, instead we’re running through the grass. A wild breeze kicks up. Cotton candy clouds witness our spinning games and laughter. I want to keep us in this togetherness that fills me up so there’s no room left for worries (words […]

Long Division.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli.   Laughter like wind chimes, how the sound carries. You can hear the party going on past the fence– were we there? When it was our turn, did we carry on so? Summon that feeling of weightlessness, invincibility. Overshadowed now by the wings of time. Consider the calendar by weeks and […]

A Crook in the Rain.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli. There is too much forgetting. I hold my breath as if it will hold everything– press pause for us. An alarm chimes, the laundry is done. A car beeps in the distance, traffic moves on. I chide myself, don’t let the day’s distractions lead. Through the kitchen window, I pocket another […]

Advice.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli. Easy to give, hard to take. I’m collecting wise words like buttons in a jar. Shook up– how they rattle before settling in. Pick one, test the weight of it in your hand. Try another, try them all. Hem and haw, and sew a new design. Plan for things to go […]

Aside.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli. Field of infinite whispers. Supple blades of pale sage,
the color of cat eyes. How they widen / wink in sunlight. It’s not always clear what is real. The past is ever present / now slips out from under us. Day at the shore, look out for the horizon. Memory traces a […]

Springtime Walk.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli. Your shadow catches mine, stretches long up the sidewalk, plays hide and seek in patchy sunshine. You turn a falling leaf into a butterfly. But you can’t pick the neighbors’ spring gardens clean. Look how young flowers welcome sun and rain. They bend, heavy under the water weight until they feel […]

Compromise with the Air.

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by Marissa Bell Toffoli. The edge of the world glows in the evening, enchants city buildings. Take in the view from on high. Gossamer bridges span dappled bay water, the skyline floats above foundations. You stand like a lighthouse, rigid with responsibility, signaling endlessly from your precipice. Watch as a crow swoops through the scene. […]