North Carolina Miscellany
N C L R ONLINE
115
2013 JAMES APPLEWHITE POETRY PRIZE FINALIST
Another Ending for Aphrodite by Hannah Bonner
And when she promised she would never give herself to another, Hephaestus embraced her, relieved, like a flame encircling the wick, shuddering with air, and she rose to meet his teeth, tongue, and thigh. Better to be alone, she thought afterwards, than beholden to another. It is almost August now as she collects olive branches in the dusk. No jewelry in the hair, nothing but sun on the nape. And each nail muddied as an eel eye. Hephaestus is swimming in the sea alone and does not call her to him. It’ll be better this way, she thinks, no more expectations. She rearranges
Traces (acrylic on canvas, 60x84) by Eduardo Lapetina
the branches, drenched in the dust of the day. Brushes insects off her arms. Whistles with the thicket of murmurings the whole length of the white road.
HannaH Bonner’s poetry has been published in the Cellar Door, Oyster Boy Review, and The Asheville Poetry Review. She teaches Ancient Studies English at Asheville School in Asheville, NC. Her poem “Fox” was selected for honorable mention by final judge Fred Chappell; it and another of her finalist poems will be published in the 2014 print issue of NCLR.
Chapel Hill resident Eduardo Lapetina is a native of Argentina. He moved to North Carolina in 1976 to do cardiovascular research in thrombosis and arteriosclerosis for Burroughs Wellcome. Upon his retirement in 2002, on a whim, he took a class with artist Jane Filer at Carrboro ArtsCenter, discovered a new passion, and has been painting ever since. In recent years, he has been part of more than fifty solo and group exhibitions, attended national and international artist’s colonies, and completed a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. His paintings have received several awards and are in various corporate and private collections throughout the US, Europe, Israel, and Australia. See more of his work on his website.