Sharon Lask Munson

MURDER THEY SAY

The sound of breakers
crash on the shoreline.

Gale-force winds enter
through gaps under the door.

Something’s unnerving
in this bone-chilling air.

Police convene at the crime scene
slip evidence into plastic:

two tattered red ribbons
one brown envelope, Romanian stamps

a single rhinestone button
silver thread still attached.

The victim’s bagged, hustled away.

Closed-mouthed, detectives search
the cottage for a bloody knife

inspect the rumpled bed
consider stains on sheets

scrutinize tea cups, read their leaves.

They cross-examine neighbors
study dents in flowerbeds

dust doorknobs, window panes
half-filled shot glasses for fingerprints.

A Mozart sonata
plays low on scratchy vinyl.

Thought-out butchery
or a moment of impetuous passion?

Either way, someone’s rubbed out.


Sharon reads "Murder They Say":



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Sharon confesses: "I love mysteries, especially British mysteries, in both book form and film. This winter PBS had a two-night special on the life of Agatha Christie. First her own life, and second, England during the period she lived. This poem came straight out of my imagination. Yes, I had fun."

SHARON LASK MUNSON is a retired teacher, poet, old movie enthusiast, lover of road trips—with many published poems, two chapbooks, and two full-length books of poetry. She says many things motivate her to write: a mood, a memory, the smell of cooking, burning leaves, a windy day, rain, fog, something observed or overheard—and of course, imagination. She lives and writes in Eugene, Oregon. www.sharonlaskmunson.com