Palimpsests

Betsy Joseph

November 27, 2022

At this stage of life

we are palimpsests—

alterations made on our original selves,

not unlike old manuscripts with erasures

allowing another’s writing to occupy the space

while still leaving traces of the first author’s thoughts.

We stop to glance into mirrors now—

not to admire our reflection

but to search for traces of recognition

in that face which appeared in early photos,

comparing the faded expression

with the face that returns our gaze.

Betsy Joseph lives in Dallas and has had poems appear in a number of journals and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry books published by Lamar University Literary Press: Only So Many Autumns (2019) and most recently, Relatively Speaking (2022), a collaborative collection with her brother, poet Chip Dameron. In addition, she and her husband, photographer Bruce Jordan, have produced two books, Benches and Lighthouses, which pair her haiku with his black and white photography.