“Three Caskets” by Barbara Goldberg

224 Replies

Kingdom of Speculation

Along came three suitors. She found them
all lacking: casket of silver, casket of gold,
casket of lead. She considers lead—

he’s heavy. If she ties herself to him
she’ll sink. But oh the liquefaction
of the sheets, and oh wouldn’t she expire

in the rapture of that deep. Silver
flashes slick off the tundra, elusive
as flight. In his wake, a killing

freeze, an excess of courtesy. At first
gold’s glitter dazzles, his overflowing
pockets. Fortuna is his mother, but

his expression’s a trifle stupid. How’s
a princess to rule with no casket
for her jewels? At this hour the shops

are closed. The graveyard beckons
but the coffins are sealed with old
remains. She’s been here before,

her legacy these ruby scars, those
smoky pearls. Let her string them
on a flaxen thread for all to see.

Let them incite the mercy of thieves.
Let her step forth in the ancestral land
accompanied by her own two hands.

-Barbara Goldberg,
Kingdom of Speculation
(Accents Publishing)

Barbara Headshot 2Barbara Goldberg is the author of four prize-winning books of poetry, including The Royal Baker’s Daughter, winner of the Felix Pollak Poetry Award. She is the translator ofScorched by the Sun, poems by the Israeli poet Moshe Dor. The two selected and translated four anthologies of contemporary Israeli poetry. Goldberg received two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as awards in translation, fiction and speechwriting. Her poems appear in Best American Poetry, Paris Review, Poetry and elsewhere, Goldberg is the series editor of the Word Works’ International Imprint.

224 thoughts on ““Three Caskets” by Barbara Goldberg”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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